The development and the application of the additive manufacturing technology are discussed in this paper, as well as the characteristics of the additive manufacture. The types and the characteristics of the defects formed during the additive manufacturing process are analyzed. Various non-destructive testing (NDT) methods, such as the ultrasonic testing, the computed tomography, the eddy inspection and the infrared camera measurement are used for the additive manufacturing parts, their applicability, the merits and weaknesses are analyzed. Finally, it is suggested that for the additive manufacturing parts, some new NDT methods and the online monitoring technology should be developed, and the related NDT standards should be established.

additive manufacturing  /  defect  /  non-destructive test  /  online inspection