AFRL, UES develop automated serial sectioning system for 3-D microstructural investigation Published Sept. 11, 2013 By Air Force Research Laboatory ManTech WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio -- Air Force Research Laboratory Materials and Manufacturing scientists commercialized a fully integrated robotic cell that generates high quality, materials microstructures in three dimensions. Background Accurate and timely 3D materials information is critical for modeling realistic behaviors, life predictions, and advanced materials processing science. Prior to the development of an automated system, manual serial sectioning lacked sufficient precision and reliability and was extremely time consuming. The manual process also required extensive, specialized training. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Materials and Manufacturing Directorate scientists in collaboration with UES, designed and commercialized a Robo-Met.3D® fully integrated robotic cell that generates high quality, materials microstructures in three dimensions. This innovative technology transfer from AFRL to private industry converts a once time-consuming manual procedure to a rapid, fully-automated and highly-repeatable process. Robo-Met.3D® will provide data critical for Air Force operational goals like failure analysis, product development, or increased material microstructure understanding. Research Through funding from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR), the Air Force Research Laboratory and UES were able to streamline manual serial sectioning processes with development of Robo-Met.3D®. The Robo-Met.3D® system has successfully demonstrated applications in: examining material production quality; identifying solidification defects in castings and freckle defects in super alloys; validation of integrated computation materials science and engineering models; failure analysis and fitness for service assessments; and, analysis of grains, grain boundaries, precipitates, voids and dendritic structure formations. An advanced, developmental version of the Robo-Met.3D® system is available in AFRL's Material and Manufacturing Directorate. Systems are also installed at several Department of Defense; Department of Energy; and, industrial metallography, academic research and development labs worldwide. Impact The Robo-Met.3D® automated, serial sectioning system provides rapid, fully-automated, repeatable materials information in hours or days instead of weeks or months. The method provides a quantitative description of materials microstructures in both laboratory and commercial settings, with significant improvement in productivity and quality. It is also capable of analyzing metals, alloys, ceramics, polymers, composites, metal foams, and even biological materials such as fossils. With its remote operation capability, the system can potentially handle hazardous materials such as explosives and radioactive materials. Each unit comes standard with an automated polishing system, fully automated inverted microscope, ultrasonic cleaning stations, washing/etching station, drying station, and external operator's station. Using the custom-designed Robo-Met.3D® Automation Software®, the operator can input customized information for performing a specified metallographic analysis. The latest generation system being designed and manufactured on Robo-Met.3D® is called Automated Industrial Metallography (A.I.M.), which functions as a "metallography lab in a box". This system has already been transitioned to an Air Force Air Logistics Center (ALC), and is providing more efficient and effective qualification of parts serviced there. Recently, technician inspection time for quality checks on plasma sprayed coatings on engine blades was reduced from five hours to 15 minutes. A.I.M. enabled rapid identification of coating defects by uniformly applying quality assurance and control procedures throughout the automated process. In addition to cost saving, adoption of A.I.M. is expected to result in improved throughput and better component availability for ALC by increasing the speed of defect identification and correction. Technical Inquiries Air Force Research Laboratory Materials and Manufacturing Directorate Corporate Communications Office 937-255-0076