years
6+
Working with DED/LMD across university research, robotic systems, and industrial Exafuse projects.
Evidence base Field notes
Sources + Experience
Notes that stay tied to real LMD work.
This page collects the numbers, source links, and field context behind the site. I want the writing to feel like engineering notes: specific where the source supports it, careful where the data is conditional, and clear about what AI can and cannot prove.
first LMD paper
2018
Co-authored a Procedia CIRP paper on laser metal deposition of lattice structures by columnar built-up.
M.Sc. grade
97%
Lasers and Photonics at Ruhr University Bochum, with Faculty Prize / Best Student.
systems layer
ROS2
Sensor/camera control and real-time data pipelines around DED/LMD process monitoring.
Evidence rail
From signal to verification
A monitoring signal becomes useful only when it can be routed through model assumptions, decision context, and the inspection evidence needed to verify the claim.
01
Sense
Process signals, images, measurements, operator notes, and missing-information cues.
02
Model
AI, statistical models, engineering rules, uncertainty, and traceable assumptions.
03
Decide
Repairability, process route, inspection need, risk level, and next action.
04
Verify
Inspection, testing, documentation, measured outcomes, and acceptance criteria.
Evidence classification
How this site labels trust
Not every page carries the same evidentiary weight. This classification keeps public sources, company pages, personal frameworks, lab notes, and drafts separate.
Public source
Stable public pages, standards pages, papers, datasets, or public records that can be checked independently.
Exafuse public page
Company-owned public context for industrial additive manufacturing services, cases, quality, technology, or RFQ paths.
External partner/source
A public partner, venue, event, organization, or third-party source that supports a specific statement.
Personal framework
Manish Sharma Lab frameworks that organize decision-support thinking. Useful as interpretation, not independent proof.
Research/source map
Broad metadata maps or curated source categories that orient research. Not equivalent to full-text review.
Lab note
Personal technical interpretation that should link back to source categories, frameworks, and public proof.
Draft / incomplete
A source or claim that still needs verification before it is treated as citation-quality evidence.
Strong vs weak evidence
Why process signals must connect to inspection
This is the trust layer behind the tools, frameworks, and lab notes.
Strong evidence
Strong evidence is public, specific, stable, and matched to the claim being made. For industrial decisions it usually includes source context, inspection method, acceptance criteria, measured output, and expert review path.
Weak evidence
Weak evidence is generic, unsupported, overbroad, or detached from the part risk. A single monitoring signal, unverified AI score, or vague case mention should not be treated as final proof.
Monitoring is not release proof
Melt-pool and process monitoring can expose review points, drift, or anomaly candidates. Final quality still depends on the inspection, testing, documentation, and acceptance evidence required by the application.
Decision systems need verification
A good recommendation remains traceable to inputs, assumptions, missing information, risk flags, and a next evidence step. This is why the site links repairability, AI readiness, and quality evidence together.
Numbers with source context
Concrete LMD/DED facts I can point to
These numbers are not universal design rules. They are cited anchors that help readers understand scale, process behavior, and claim boundaries.
10^3-10^5 C/s
Typical DED cooling-rate range
A DED state-of-the-art review reports typical cooling rates in this range. That is one reason I care about process history and thermal context.
Ahn, Directed Energy Deposition (DED) Process: State of the Art30-200 um
Common powder particle diameter range
The same DED review gives this as a common powder diameter range for laser additive manufacturing DED processes.
Ahn, 2021<30%
General material usage efficiency reported for LAM-DED
The review notes that specific cases can be much higher, but the general reported efficiency is often below this value.
Ahn, 202110-30%
Dilution-ratio window cited for proper first-layer dilution
The review summarizes literature proposing this range. Outside it, lack-of-fusion and keyhole-type risks become part of the discussion.
Ahn, 20211-3 mm vs <200 um
LMD focus size compared with SLM in Sharma et al.
Our lattice-structure LMD paper contrasts LMD's larger focus size with SLM's smaller focus, which is why the process design logic is different.
Sharma et al., Procedia CIRP 20181070 nm / 450 W / 2 mm
Parameters from Manish Sharma's 2018 LMD paper
The published experiment used a ytterbium fiber laser, 316L powder, a 2 mm focus size, and a 3 mm substrate for columnar built-up lattice experiments.
Sharma et al., Procedia CIRP 201845-90 um
316L powder size in the 2018 lattice experiment
I keep details like this visible because they are more useful than a generic portfolio claim.
Sharma et al., Procedia CIRP 20185-10 mm / >95%
BreitbahnDED project targets
From my public profile material: broad-track DED goals include rotating multi-spot optics, 5-10 mm wide tracks, multimodal monitoring, layer-to-layer control, and a >95% powder-utilization target. This is a project target, not a published result claim.
Manish Sharma public profile materialField notes
What experience changes in the writing
The personal layer should not sound like vague authority. It should show how I think when an LMD claim, RFQ, monitoring signal, or AI recommendation looks too confident.
Height is not a cosmetic variable.
In DED/LMD, stand-off distance and layer-height errors add up quickly. I treat height sensing, toolpath correction, and post-machining allowance as part of the process plan, not a late fix.
A camera is not a certificate.
Coaxial vision, pyrometry, and melt-pool features are useful because they tell us what the process was doing. They only become strong evidence when they are connected to inspection results.
RFQs fail when they hide risk.
A weak request is not always a short request. The real problem is missing material grade, damage depth, tolerance, operating conditions, or inspection criteria.
Traceability is a product feature.
For industrial DED/LMD, parameter logs, change control, build reports, inspection reports, and deviation tracking are part of the work, not paperwork at the end.
Industrial proof
Public Exafuse cases that anchor the claims
These are public company case studies, not private project details. They make the site more concrete by showing the kind of industrial LMD problems behind the frameworks.
CS15
Duisburg Bridge Components
Migration-gated link
750 kg+ components 6 structural nodes 219 h single-node build approx. 38 km robot path 1M+ melt-pool images KIT validation context
Source link pending until Exafuse production migration
Large structural LMD is a CAD-to-production system problem: manufacturability review, path planning, parameter development, monitoring, independent validation, and final inspection.
Decision pattern extracted
Large-scale LMD requires evidence planning, monitoring context, and an inspection boundary.
This is a pattern, not a transfer of feasibility.
CS01
Forging Hammer Repair
Migration-gated link
local wear repair
Source link pending until Exafuse production migration
A credible hammer repair is not one hardness number. It requires surface preparation, crack context, layer strategy, finishing, bond quality, and release evidence.
Decision pattern extracted
Local repair needs material, damage depth, machining route, and inspection plan.
This is a pattern, not a transfer of feasibility.
CS10
Nobufil Extrusion Screw Repair
Migration-gated link
local crack context
Source link pending until Exafuse production migration
Repair value often comes from a local failure with a large downtime risk. The damaged material must be removed before rebuilding, not hidden below new deposition.
Decision pattern extracted
Repair/RFQ quality depends on complete facts, downtime context, and service context.
This is a pattern, not a transfer of feasibility.
CS13
130 mm Build-and-Coat Drill
Migration-gated link
130 mm build-and-coat drill
Source link pending until Exafuse production migration
LMD can combine geometry creation and functional surface strategy when material compatibility, coating duty, finishing, and validation are planned together.
Decision pattern extracted
Build-and-coat routes need geometry, surface function, material, finishing, and validation.
This is a pattern, not a transfer of feasibility.
Reference map
What the 500-record map is good for
This is a map of the research terrain, not a claim that every paper was read end to end. It helps keep the site vocabulary aligned with real LMD/DED research.
Reference map
500
LMD/DED records in the map
OpenAlex reference map across eight LMD, DED, laser cladding, melt-pool monitoring, and machine-learning queries. I use it for orientation and vocabulary; exact claims still come from checked sources.
Top venues in the map
Additive Manufacturing 54 records
Materials & Design 27 records
International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology 19 records
Journal of Materials Processing Technology 17 records
Materials 16 records
Exact claims on this site are based on source-specific citations. The broader map is useful for topic coverage, terminology, and deciding which content needs more research depth next.
Sources
Public sources used for this evidence pass
NIST Directed Energy Deposition overviewOpenASTM DED standard announcementOpenAhn - Directed Energy Deposition Process: State of the ArtOpenSharma et al. - Laser metal deposition of lattice structures by columnar built-upOpenNIST/JOM 2024 - parallel monitoring in powder-blown DEDOpenOptics and Lasers in Engineering 2019 - optical monitoring for laser-aided DMDOpenOpenAlex 500-record LMD/DED literature mapOpenLinkedIn / public profileOpen
Exafuse homepageVerified production Exafuse route.OpenExafuse servicesVerified production Exafuse route.OpenExafuse metal additive manufacturingVerified production Exafuse route.OpenExafuse repair and modificationVerified production Exafuse route.OpenExafuse laser claddingVerified production Exafuse route.OpenExafuse technologyVerified production Exafuse route.OpenExafuse qualityVerified production Exafuse route.OpenExafuse materialsVerified production Exafuse route.OpenExafuse case studiesVerified production Exafuse route.OpenContact ExafuseCurrent target is a safe Exafuse production route while the exact deep link is verified.OpenRequest Exafuse reviewCurrent target is a safe Exafuse production route while the exact deep link is verified.OpenRequest Exafuse reviewCurrent target is a safe Exafuse production route while the exact deep link is verified.OpenContact ExafuseCurrent target is a safe Exafuse production route while the exact deep link is verified.OpenExafuse contactCommercial RFQ and company contact route.OpenContact ExafuseCurrent target is a safe Exafuse production route while the exact deep link is verified.OpenContact ExafuseCurrent target is a safe Exafuse production route while the exact deep link is verified.OpenContact ExafuseCurrent target is a safe Exafuse production route while the exact deep link is verified.OpenContact ExafuseCurrent target is a safe Exafuse production route while the exact deep link is verified.OpenContact ExafuseCurrent target is a safe Exafuse production route while the exact deep link is verified.OpenContact ExafuseCurrent target is a safe Exafuse production route while the exact deep link is verified.OpenContact ExafuseCurrent target is a safe Exafuse production route while the exact deep link is verified.OpenContact ExafuseCurrent target is a safe Exafuse production route while the exact deep link is verified.OpenContact ExafuseCurrent target is a safe Exafuse production route while the exact deep link is verified.Open
Established domain