Development of a reference object for accuracy evaluation of CT measurements of additively manufactured metal lattice structures

Additive manufacturing (AM) technologies can be successfully used to produce metal parts with controlled and complex lattice structures. However, AM parts are intrinsically characterized by dimensional and geometrical errors, which need to be properly identified and quantified to improve the quality of AM processes and the properties of end products. In this work, X-ray computed tomography (CT) is applied to enable advanced non-destructive dimensional measurements. The CT measurement accuracy is evaluated using a reference object specifically designed and produced to be similar to AM lattice structures. The reference object can be used to implement the substitution approach as well as to validate alternative methods for uncertainty determination.