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.
Illustrative workflow
Read left to right: collect a signal, structure its risk, choose evidence, then 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 evidence.
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 sources.
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 context
Public Exafuse cases that ground the claims
These are public company case contexts, not private project details. Each source and limitation is kept with the physical problem it helps explain.
Exafuse public case
Duisburg Bridge Components: large-part LMD from CAD adaptation to evidence planning
For large LMD, manufacturability, toolpaths, monitoring, finishing, and verification must be planned as one decision system.
750+ kg · Documented components 6 nodes · Structural nodes
It is not a blanket approval for another bridge or safety-critical component.
Read the proof story
Exafuse public case
Nobufil Extrusion Screw Repair: make the damage boundary visible before rebuilding
Repair evidence starts by defining what must be removed, rebuilt, finished, and inspected—not by covering a visible defect.
It does not establish certified performance, exact tolerance, or service-life extension.
Read the proof story
Exafuse public case
Valve-Seat Ring Cladding: turn visible inspection into a bounded evidence step
A visible inspection result is useful evidence only when it is attached to geometry, material, heat, finishing, and acceptance context.
It does not guarantee crack-free performance for another material, substrate, or ring geometry.
Read the proof story
Exafuse public case
130 mm Drill Build-and-Coat: plan geometry and surface function together
Geometry, surface function, material compatibility, finishing, and verification should be prepared as one route.
130 mm · Drill demonstrator
It does not certify performance for another drilling application.
Read the proof storyReference 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 overview Open ASTM DED standard announcement Open Ahn - Directed Energy Deposition Process: State of the Art Open Sharma et al. - Laser metal deposition of lattice structures by columnar built-up Open NIST/JOM 2024 - parallel monitoring in powder-blown DED Open Optics and Lasers in Engineering 2019 - optical monitoring for laser-aided DMD Open OpenAlex 500-record LMD/DED literature map Open LinkedIn / public profile Open
Exafuse homepage Verified production Exafuse route. Open Exafuse services Verified production Exafuse route. Open Exafuse metal additive manufacturing Verified production Exafuse route. Open Exafuse repair and modification Verified production Exafuse route. Open Exafuse laser cladding Verified production Exafuse route. Open Exafuse technology Verified production Exafuse route. Open Exafuse quality Verified production Exafuse route. Open Exafuse materials Verified production Exafuse route. Open Exafuse case studies Verified production Exafuse route. Open Contact Exafuse Use the current Exafuse contact or index page while exact supporting source pages are verified. Open Request Exafuse review Use the current Exafuse contact or index page while exact supporting source pages are verified. Open Request Exafuse review Use the current Exafuse contact or index page while exact supporting source pages are verified. Open Contact Exafuse Use the current Exafuse contact or index page while exact supporting source pages are verified. Open Exafuse contact Commercial RFQ and company contact route. Open CS15 Duisburg Bridge Components Verified production Exafuse route. Open Contact Exafuse Use the current Exafuse contact or index page while exact supporting source pages are verified. Open CS10 Nobufil Extrusion Screw Repair Verified production Exafuse route. Open Contact Exafuse Use the current Exafuse contact or index page while exact supporting source pages are verified. Open Contact Exafuse Use the current Exafuse contact or index page while exact supporting source pages are verified. Open Contact Exafuse Use the current Exafuse contact or index page while exact supporting source pages are verified. Open Contact Exafuse Use the current Exafuse contact or index page while exact supporting source pages are verified. Open Contact Exafuse Use the current Exafuse contact or index page while exact supporting source pages are verified. Open Contact Exafuse Use the current Exafuse contact or index page while exact supporting source pages are verified. Open
Established domain