Temperature is one of the key factors the quality of the process and thereby also the quality of the final product depends on. Thermographic cameras can for example be integrated directly into a laser sintering machine. They allow users to measure various temperature related process parameters.
Most relevant are the detection of the temperature distribution of the powder bed surface and the measurement of the melting temperature. Both can be realised while the laser is in operation (in-situ measurement) and for temperature ranges more than 2,000 °C.