ILTP. "The challenge presented of 3D Additive Manufacturing quality assurance is illustrated by the fact that if a 3D metal manufacturing machine fabricates 10 parts, and quality inspectors then rigorously inspect three of them, the inspectors will have learned about the quality of only the three parts they destroyed or CT-scanned and nothing that is sufficient to confirm or reject the quality of the remaining seven. Quality assurance of 3D Additive metal parts requires high quality sensitive manufacturers to institute procedures to inspect 100% of the parts being made. Sigma believes that the best, indeed, to Sigma’s knowledge, the only known way to attain high yields for both manufacturing quality and cost efficiency is an In-Process-Quality-Assurance (IPQA®) approach that examines each part in real time as it is being manufactured, determines in real time whether it meets quality specifications and permits machine operators to act on the information if a part is beginning to deviate from its design specifications."
This is good too - " We believe there is potential for our PrintRite3D® software to be incorporated into a significant percentage of 3D metal printing devices made by companies like Additive Industries, ARCAM, Concept Laser, DMG Mori, Electro-Optical Systems (“EOS”), SLM, Trumpf Industries, Farsoon, Renishaw, Sodick, and others.
Third Party Competition and Sigma’s Intellectual Property Safeguards
Sigma is engaged with large companies in several industries including aerospace, defense, oil and gas, bio-medical, and power generation because both we, and they, agree that they need a common quality standard and third party quality assurance tools for 3D metal printing that applies to all laser powderbed-made parts regardless of which machine, design, or metal was employed. To date, we are unaware of any meltpool monitoring products that compete with PrintRite3D that can meet those criteria. Sigma’s thermal data gathering, and analytical tools provide quality information metrics that correlate to measures of internal metal part design, conformity, uniformity, and characteristics such as porosity, unsintered material etc. The primary competition to PrintRite 3D is varying iterations of Optical Tomography (OT). Optical Tomography develops optical data and computer analysis thereof sometimes linked to simulation tools to predict quality. OT technology does not provide universal thermal-data based metrics of metal quality that Sigma’s thermal data provides, and which are fundamental to confirming or rejecting parts based on measurable consistency of material properties.
Sigma began its investigation and research into optical and thermal data collection and measurement for quality assurance and intervention approximately 5 years ago and began to develop its intellectual property protection at that time also. The international IP law firm, Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP, has advised the Company on building the nets and walls of its patent portfolio, trade secrets, trademarks, etc. and filed and prosecuted patents as the Company has grown its body of intellectual property."
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