Manufacturing-Induced Imperfections: Detection & Impact on Structural Integrity
A series of free-to-attend webinars exploring the consequences of manufacturing induced imperfections on structural integrity and functional performance of engineering assets. The series will highlight how defects such as porosity, inclusions, residual stresses, and surface anomalies influence reliability and lifespan of components produced by primary and secondary manufacturing processes as well as near-net methods. By bridging industrial practice and academic research, the seminar aims to provide insights into how NDT, advanced inspection and monitoring methods can be utilised as key tools for defect detection and enable understanding for improved structural performance across engineering applications.
Please register for the individual webinars using the links below.
Webinar 1 - 17th September 2026 - 12.30 - 1.00pm
Data‑Driven Prediction of Porosity in Additive Manufacturing: Integrating In‑Process Monitoring, AI Prediction and NDT to make decisions on part quality – Nikita Pietrow, MTC
Additive Manufacturing (AM) processes inherently introduce imperfections such as porosity which can significantly influence structural integrity and component performance. This presentation introduces a new data‑driven decision‑making workflow, leveraging GrantaMI, that integrates in‑process monitoring, advanced analytics, and non‑destructive testing to predict manufacturing imperfections. Using controlled AM builds, meltpool and thermography data, porosity measurements and AI modelling, the project showcased a toolkit which enables quicker evidence-based quality decisions on produced AM parts. The digital inspection workflows developed on the project can enhance reliability, reduce scrap and support robust engineering assurance.
Webinar 2 - 24th September 2026 - 12.30 - 1.00pm
Moving from in-situ detection to in-process QA in Additive Manufacture – Iain Todd, University of Sheffield
In-situ monitoring is now commonplace in Additive Manufacturing but the volume of data we capture does not, generally speaking, translate into high quality actionable insight for us to use to control the process. In this talk I will discuss activities underway to deliver this form of actionable insight and propose a means of taking this forwards to help in fulfilling the promise of Additive Manufacture namely form, function and performance on demand.
Webinar 3 - 1st October 2026 - 12.30 - 1.30pm
NDT assessment of Machining induced surface integrity – Matthew Brown, AMRC
The microstructural surface integrity of a machined component has a known detrimental effect on the achievable fatigue life of materials such as high strength steels, nickel-based superalloys and titanium alloys. Verifying surface integrity is important, particularly in the aerospace and medical industries and has traditionally been achieved via fixed manufacturing processes and destructive validation, with remedial action often limited to immersion etching to remove the feature. This talk will cover the development of a non-destructive X-Ray diffraction based solution for detection and sizing of defects such as white layers, severe plastic deformation and grinding burn via both lab-based and on-machine technology. This method enables both validation of production components, and more rapid new process and product development.
Casting, Aerospace and Production – What do Experts Really Know – Mark Craig, Safran
Production in an aerospace environment demands the ability to achieve high quality and repeatability at a relatively low throughput whilst minimising cost, over a significant production life span. Magnesium has long been a material of choice in this sector due to its high strength‑to‑weight ratio, offering significant performance advantages. However, despite its established use, magnesium casting presents a distinct set of challenges.
A key point of debate lies in determining the appropriate level of testing: ensuring components meet stringent aerospace‑grade requirements without introducing excessive inspection that reduces yield and drives up cost. This presentation will outline the major challenges encountered in magnesium casting and share lessons learned through the application of auditing, CFD analysis, and non‑destructive testing.
Webinar 4 - 7th October 2026 - 12.30 - 1.00pm
Manufacturing and Inspection Methods for Turbine Components – Owen Draper, Rolls Royce
Modern flight relies on the safety of the modern jet engine. The turbine environment within the engine is arguably the most arduous. The super alloy single crystal cast turbine blades must meet the most stringent structural integrity standards to ensure the engine will function for its intended life. Design standards are in place to ensure the stresses and strains that the component will experience are understood prior to manufacture and engine testing. Modern manufacturing uses process simulation extensively to define likely regions of defects such as porosity or grain boundaries and then can assist in defining defect free manufacturing processes whilst minimising expensive casting trials. Recent improvements to inspection capability have assisted in detecting castings with defects, for instance X-ray computer tomography is a highly capable inspection technique with potentials for automation. This paper will highlight some of the tools that are used in manufacturing to ensure that the cast turbine blades meet the stringent structural requirements.
Webinar 5 - 13th October 2026 - 12.30 - 1.30pm
Welding for Fusion Energy: From Fabrication to Qualification – Robert Hamill & Frances Livera, UKAEA
The design and performance validation of welded joints remains a critical structural integrity challenge in many engineering industries, including fusion energy generation. Fabrication rules typically mandate non-destructive testing and prescribe allowable tolerances for defects such as porosity, cracking, and geometric discontinuity. Nevertheless, inherent variability in material behaviour remains and must be addressed during qualification. In fusion applications, this challenge is amplified by the need to demonstrate performance under complex environmental conditions in first-of-a-kind environments.
Knowledge of heterogeneous mechanical properties enables improved structural analysis, enhancing insight into failure mechanisms and reducing conservatism, while also informing manufacturing processes such as welding and post-weld heat treatment. In turn, this provides a pathway to accelerate qualification by using fewer, information-rich tests to quantify the spatial variability that governs performance. This is particularly important for nuclear fusion power plant delivery, where the timescales for qualification of novel materials requires an accelerated approach. This talk will discuss welding in the context of fusion energy and present a novel methodology for the characterisation of heterogeneous mechanical properties of welded joints.
Industrial Advances in Understanding Surface Integrity and the Service Lives of Safety Critical Rotating Components – Kyle Marshall, Rolls-Royce
Abstract to follow