Sigma Labs Inc (SASI)

[GetRich1day]

Hello my Fellow Longs. Ya'll know that a huge reason for my confidence in SGLB was their invovlement in DARPA contract with Honeywell where they were being built into the ICME framework for rapid certification of AM parts. Ya'll remember Mark talking about the Navy proposal and joing up with Moog? From the Q1 2016 call

So the work that we're proposing to do with Moog was, we were approached by them to team and put together a proposal to the navy to leverage government sponsorship in return for bringing the Moog products to market more quickly using an in-process monitoring approach. And so, what I can comment is that you are accurate that we have put together a proposal with them and as I enlisted as a name team member on their proposal. It's about all I can say with respect to the Moog proposal.

It's in other than to say that their proposed approach is in lockstep with trying to bring a new technology like a PrintRite3D in-process monitoring approach into an existing traditional market space where again they are used the manufacturing in one step and inspecting in another. Because at the end of the day, when they all do their FMEA analysis, which is Failure Modes and Effects Analysis.

Here's a couple lines from the ONR announcement

AM is well suited for low volume production. If certified structural components for aircraft, ships, and ground vehicles could be fabricated with AM, it would benefit maintenance activities and the Naval supply chain.

Recent advances in modeling and simulation (M&S) tools based on an Integrated Computational Materials Engineering (ICME) approach have provided a new opportunity to relate process parameters to microstructure to properties to performance. Additionally, advanced sensor technology for use in process monitoring and control systems will be required to ensure the quality of AM fabricated parts.

Coupled M&S tools with process monitoring and controls will ensure the quality of the AM process and help to reduce process variability to optimize overall part quality.

Scope:
The goal of this effort is to develop and demonstrate a suite/combination of AM software and hardware technologies required to support the rapid qualification of critical metallic components at a reduced cost. The Quality Made program is closely aligned with Naval AM strategies. This program will develop, test, and deliver validated M&S tools and in-situ process monitoring sensors and control for utilizing AM from initial design to finished product phases; and will support qualification of materials and processes. The desire is to transition these technologies directly into Naval Warfare Centers and Naval maintenance activities.
The technologies necessary to achieve the above goal must enable the production of parts with predictable and consistently reproducible mechanical properties, microstructural characteristics, and geometric tolerances. The envisioned system as delivered would include (i) ICME based M&S design tools, (ii) in situ process/inspection sensors and (iii) AM process control system improvements. The intent of the Quality Made program is to advance the technological maturity of the system components from a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 3/4 to TRL 6, with the latter including the installation of the system at a Navy Depot and a part production demonstration of the technologies in the Depot Maintenance environment.

The ICME pillar of Quality Made will establish, on a point by point basis, key process parameters, values, and tolerances for a quality AM build. The control system will link sensor data to material models developed with the assistance of the ICME team in order to predict, anticipate, and adjust process controls to stay within tolerances in order to ensure part quality.

From the Towards rapid qualification of powder-bed laser additively manufactured parts research paper
http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s40192-016-0052-5

Qualification of aerospace components is a long and costly process involving material properties, material specifications, manufacturing process, and design among others. Reducing qualification time and cost while maintaining safety offers a large economic advantage and enables faster response to the market demands. In 2012, DARPA established the Open Manufacturing program, a project to develop an integrated computational materials engineering (ICME) framework aimed at rapid qualification. Rapid qualification requires the integration of several technologies: materials, process, design, models, monitoring and control, non-destructive evaluation (NDE), testing, among others. A probabilistic design approach is adopted in the rapid qualification process to enable the integration of these technologies into a single risk-based function to optimize the design process.

One of the most important features of this framework is its generic approach that allows for interchangeability of the components and additive manufacturing processes, as well as the addition of new requirements and technology updates. The component definition is not limited to simple geometrical considerations of the design intent, it also defines the manufacturing process that would achieve the location-specific microstructure and properties needed in order to meet design requirements. The new component definition facilitates rapid procurement of qualified hardware needed for validation and certification testing.
The framework presented in Fig. 2 contains within the dotted line box the set of ICME tools needed to achieve rapid qualification. A micro-model which describes the melting of the powder and solidification of the material to form the part, and a macro-model which describes the residual stresses that build up as a result of the rapid cooling and solidification of the material. Both of these models were developed by ESI to simulate the powder-bed laser additive manufacturing process. QuesTek® developed the models to predict the material microstructure that develops as a result of the heat treatment process along with a model to predict the tensile properties of the resulting microstructure. Sigma Labs and Stratonics developed techniques for in situ monitoring of the process. Sigma Labs uses a pyrometer to monitor the response of the melt pool whereas Stratonics uses a digital imaging technique to capture the response of the melt pool. Furthermore, Sigma Labs has implemented their In-Process-Quality-Assurance (IPQA) technologies to determine if and when the process may be out of control. Honeywell is implementing non-destructive evaluation (NDE) methods to determine if defects that may develop in the part during the manufacturing process can be detected by inspection. SwRI® is developing the probabilistic design and uncertainty quantification tools to be able to define the minimum predicted material property and risk derived from the novel manufacturing process. Lastly, Honeywell is developing the overall rapid qualification framework to bring all these technologies together in order to demonstrate an acceptable means of compliance with extensive use of simulation models.

http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s40192-016-0052-5

Check out Figure 2 and see where IPQA fits in this framework. Now I bet Moog along with SGLB will offer the best proposal to win this contract. Guess what happens after the win?? Further adoption of PrintRite3D in the Navy and that would be huge. Dot + Dot + Dot = Success!! Choo! Choo!! SGLB is chuggin along. Longs keep on bringing the DD. We can see the years of research and planning for SGLB's success is coming to light. Some believe that the LONGS are dreaming of SGLB's success.

I argue against their position as we have done the DD by reading AM industry news, by pouring through scientific AM research papers, and listening to what AM leaders are saying about where AM was headed. We made our investment and doubled, tripled and quadrupled down on our investment over the years as the DD gave us more confidence in our investment and belief in SGLB's future success even as the pps went down. Longs here know that the recent turn around in our investment was anticipated and understand that this is just the beginning.