ZEISS Maps the Path From Powder to Qualified AM Production

M4SNews: — Quality control in additive manufacturing has long been treated as a final gate: print the part, then inspect it. According to Paul Brackman, X-ray Product Manager for ZEISS Research & Quality Solutions USA, that model is breaking down as AM moves into series production. In a conversation with TCT Magazine, Brackman laid out how ZEISS is connecting powder data, in-process scanning, and CT inspection into a single quality framework.

Inspection Starts at the Drawing Board

ZEISS provides quality control and inspection solutions for additive manufacturing technologies, with products deployed across automotive, medical technology, and aerospace. Its technology stack spans scanning electron and optical microscopes, X-ray systems, coordinate-measuring machines, and surface characterisation systems — all aimed at supporting fully digitised workflows.

"ZEISS offers an integrated portfolio of technologies and software for quality assurance across the additive manufacturing (AM) workflow—from feedstock characterisation and process development to dimensional inspection and defect analysis of finished parts."

But hardware alone isn't the point. Brackman argues the inspection strategy has to be engineered alongside the part itself:

"Quality control should be considered at the design stage, not treated solely as a final gate."

The logic is straightforward: if a critical internal feature can't be measured reliably, it can't be validated — and a feature that can't be validated is a redesign waiting to happen.

Powder Is a Process Variable, Not a Commodity

Upstream, ZEISS is pushing manufacturers to treat feedstock as an engineering input rather than a line item on a purchase order. Powder characterisation, in ZEISS' framework, means analysing particle size, morphology, chemical composition, and potential contamination.

"Powder and material characterisation require greater attention because feedstock characteristics can influence powder handling, process stability, and, ultimately, the quality and properties of the finished part."

Brackman's definition of done is specific:

"Good powder characterisation means understanding the feedstock attributes that matter to the specific material, process, and application—and monitoring them consistently enough to identify meaningful variation."

Catching Distortion Between Process Steps

Post-print deformation remains one of AM's most expensive surprises. Residual stress is the culprit, and it can surface at heat treatment, support removal, or separation from the build plate.

"Residual stress is one of the primary contributors to geometric distortion in AM parts, and the geometry can change at several points after printing—including heat treatment, support removal, and separation from the build plate."

ZEISS ATOS 3D scanners capture full-field measurement data between process steps, with ZEISS INSPECT used to evaluate deviations and support geometry compensation workflows — scanning, analysing, and compensating iteratively rather than discovering distortion at final inspection.

CT as the First Line of Defence

For internal structures, Brackman is unambiguous about where ZEISS starts:

"In our AM inspection labs, X-ray CT (XCT) is often the first technology used."

X-ray CT provides a 3D representation of external geometry and internal defect structure within minutes. The acknowledged limit — X-rays must penetrate the material — is what drove the METROTOM 800 320 kV, engineered for dense AM parts.

On the qualification side, AM VERCES targets two persistent headaches: optimising laser and electron beam parameters for new alloys, and proving printer equivalency across a fleet — whether one machine prints the same quality as the next unit on the floor.

"ZEISS serves both research and industrial markets, and we recognised that both were asking for something that could be solved by one process: AM VERCES."

Where This Is Heading

Brackman frames the industry's QC requirements in two phases.

"We typically group quality-control requirements into two stages: R&D and production."

The production phase is where the pressure is building. ZEISS is developing automated quality-control solutions, including robotic loading and AI-based analysis, applying AI to image processing across X-ray, optical microscopy, and electron microscopy data. The trajectory is clear:

"Quality control has to become more integrated, automated, and data-driven as AM moves into series production."