Showing papers in "Journal of Manufacturing Science and Engineering-transactions of The Asme in 2011"

A Review of Engineering Research in Sustainable Manufacturing

Abstract: Karl R. Haapala 1 School of Mechanical, Industrial, and Manufacturing Engineering, Oregon State University, 204 Rogers Hall, Corvallis, OR 97331 e-mail: Karl.Haapala@oregonstate.edu Fu Zhao School of Mechanical Engineering, Division of Environmental and Ecological Engineering, Purdue University, 585 Purdue Mall, West Lafayette, IN 47907 e-mail: fzhao@purdue.edu Jaime Camelio Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 235 Durham Hall, Blacksburg, VA 24061 e-mail: jcamelio@vt.edu John W. Sutherland Division of Environmental and Ecological Engineering, Purdue University, 322 Potter Engineering Center, West Lafayette, IN 47907 e-mail: jwsuther@purdue.edu Steven J. Skerlos Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan, 2250 GG Brown Building, Ann Arbor, MI 48105 e-mail: skerlos@umich.edu David A. Dornfeld Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of California, 6143 Etcheverry Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720 e-mail: dornfeld@berkeley.edu I. S. Jawahir Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Kentucky, 414C UK Center for Manufacturing, Lexington, KY 40506 e-mail: jawahir@engr.uky.edu A Review of Engineering Research in Sustainable Manufacturing Sustainable manufacturing requires simultaneous consideration of economic, environmen- tal, and social implications associated with the production and delivery of goods. Funda- mentally, sustainable manufacturing relies on descriptive metrics, advanced decision- making, and public policy for implementation, evaluation, and feedback. In this paper, recent research into concepts, methods, and tools for sustainable manufacturing is explored. At the manufacturing process level, engineering research has addressed issues related to planning, development, analysis, and improvement of processes. At a manufac- turing systems level, engineering research has addressed challenges relating to facility operation, production planning and scheduling, and supply chain design. Though economi- cally vital, manufacturing processes and systems have retained the negative image of being inefficient, polluting, and dangerous. Industrial and academic researchers are re- imagining manufacturing as a source of innovation to meet society’s future needs by under- taking strategic activities focused on sustainable processes and systems. Despite recent developments in decision making and process- and systems-level research, many chal- lenges and opportunities remain. Several of these challenges relevant to manufacturing process and system research, development, implementation, and education are highlighted. [DOI: 10.1115/1.4024040] Andres F. Clarens Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Virginia, D220 Thornton Hall, Charlottesville, VA 22904 e-mail: aclarens@virginia.edu Jeremy L. Rickli Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 217 Durham Hall, Blacksburg, VA 24061 e-mail: jlrickli@vt.edu Corresponding author. Contributed by the Manufacturing Engineering Division of ASME for publication in the J OURNAL OF M ANUFACTURING S CIENCE AND E NGINEERING . Manuscript received July 11, 2012; final manuscript received March 4, 2013; published online July 17, 2013. Editor: Y. Lawrence Yao. Manufacturing and Sustainability The concept of sustainability emerged from a series of meetings and reports in the 1970s and 1980s, and was largely motivated by environmental incidents and disasters as well as fears about Journal of Manufacturing Science and Engineering C 2013 by ASME Copyright V AUGUST 2013, Vol. 135 / 041013-1 Downloaded From: http://manufacturingscience.asmedigitalcollection.asme.org/ on 07/09/2014 Terms of Use: http://asme.org/terms

Formability and Surface Finish Studies in Single Point Incremental Forming

Abstract: Incremental sheet metal forming (ISMF) has demonstrated its great potential to form complex three-dimensional parts without using a component specific tooling. The die-less nature in incremental forming provides a competitive alternative for economically and effectively fabricating low-volume functional sheet parts. However, ISMF has limitations with respect to maximum formable wall angle, geometrical accuracy and surface finish of the component. In the present work, an experimental study is carried out to study the effect of incremental sheet metal forming process variables on maximum formable angle and surface finish. Box-Behnken method is used to design the experiments for formability study and full factorial method is used for surface finish study. Analysis of experimental results indicates that formability in incremental forming decreases with increase in tool diameter. Formable angle first increases and then decreases with incremental depth and it is also observed that the variation in the formable angle is not significant in the range of incremental depths considered to produce good surface finishes during the present study. A simple analysis model is used to estimate the stress values during incremental sheet metal forming assuming that the deformation occurs predominantly under plane strain condition. A stress based criterion is used along with the above mentioned analysis to predict the formability in ISMF and its predictions are in very good agreement with the experimental results. Surface roughness decreases with increase in tool diameter for all incremental depths. Surface roughness increases first with increase in incremental depth up to certain angle and then decreases. Surface roughness value decreases with increase in wall angle.Copyright © 2011 by ASME

Improvement of Geometric Accuracy in Incremental Forming by Using a Squeezing Toolpath Strategy With Two Forming Tools

Abstract: Single point incremental forming (SPIF) is plagued by an unavoidable and unintended bending in the region of the sheet between the current tool position and the fixture. The effect is a deformation of the region of the sheet in between the formed area and the fixture as well as deformation of the already formed portion of the wall, leading to significant geometric inaccuracy in SPIF. Double sided incremental forming (DSIF) uses two tools, one on each side of the sheet to form the sheet into the desired shape. This work explores the capabilities of DSIF in terms of improving the geometric accuracy as compared to SPIF by using a novel toolpath strategy in which the sheet is locally squeezed between the two tools. Experiments and simulations are performed to show that this strategy can improve the geometric accuracy of the component significantly by causing the deformation to be stabilized into a local region around the contact point of the forming tool. At the same time an examination of the forming forces indicates that after a certain amount of deformation by using this strategy a loss of contact occurs between the bottom tool and the sheet. The effects of this loss of contact of the bottom tool on the geometric accuracy and potential strategies, in order to avoid this loss of contact, are also discussed.

Temperature Variation in the Cutting Tool in End Milling

Abstract: This paper describes the cyclic temperature variation beneath the rake face of a cutting tool in end milling. A newly developed infrared radiation pyrometer equipped with two optical fibers is used to measure the temperature. A small hole is drilled in the tool insert from the underside to near the rake face, and an optical fiber is inserted in the hole. One of the optical fibers runs through the inside of the machine tool spindle and connects to the other optical fiber at the end of the spindle. Infrared rays radiating from the bottom of the hole in the tool insert during machining are accepted and transmitted to the pyrometer by the two optical fibers. For a theoretical analysis of the temperature in end milling, a cutting tool is modeled as a semi-infinite rectangular corner, and a Green's function approach is used. Variation in tool-chip contact length in end milling is considered in the analysis. Experimentally, titanium alloy Ti-6Al-4V is machined in up and down milling with a tungsten carbide tool insert at a cutting speed of 214 m/min. In up milling, the temperature beneath the rake face increases gradually during the cutting period and reaches a maximum just after the cutting. In contrast, in down milling, the temperature increases immediately after cutting starts; it reaches a maximum and then begins to decrease during cutting. This suggests that the thermal impact to the cutting tool during heating is larger in down milling than in up milling, whereas that during cooling is larger in up milling than in down milling. Temperature variation is measured at different depths from the rake face. With increasing depth from the rake face, the temperature decreases and a time lag occurs in the temperature history. At 0.6 mm from the major cutting edge, the temperature gradient toward the inner direction of the tool insert is about 300°C/0.5 mm. The calculated and experimental results agree well.

An investigation of magnetic-field-assisted material removal in micro-EDM for nonmagnetic materials

Abstract: Previous magnetic-field-assisted microelectrical discharge machining (μ-EDM) techniques have been limited to use with magnetic materials Therefore, a novel process has been developed and tested to improve material removal rate in magnetic-field-assisted μ-EDM for nonmagnetic materials The workpiece electrodes were oriented to promote directionality in the current flowing through the workpiece, while an external magnetic field was applied in such a way as to produce a Lorentz force in the melt pool Single-discharge events were carried out on nonmagnetic Grade 5 titanium workpieces to investigate the mechanical effects of the Lorentz force on material removal Erosion efficiency, melt pool volume analysis, plasma temperature, electron density, and debris field characterization were used as the response metrics to quantify and explain the change in material removal with the applied Lorentz force By orienting the Lorentz force to act in a direction pointing into the workpiece surface, volume of material removed was shown to in-crease by up to nearly 50% Furthermore, erosion efficiency is observed to increase by over 54% Plasma temperature is unaffected and electron density shows a slight decrease with the addition of the Lorentz force The distribution of debris around the crater is shifted to greater distances from the discharge center with the Lorentz force Taken together, these facts strongly suggest that the Lorentz force process developed produces a mechanical effect on the melt pool to aid in increasing material removal The application of the Lorentz force is not found to negatively impact tool wear

Layer-to-Layer Height Control for Laser Metal Deposition Process

Abstract: A laser metal deposition height control methodology is presented in this paper. The height controller utilizes a particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm to estimate model parameters between layers using measured temperature and track height profiles. Using the estimated model, the powder flow rate reference profile, which will produce the desired layer height reference, is then generated using iterative learning control (ILC). The model parameter estimation performance using PSO is evaluated using a four-layer single track deposition, and the powder flow rate reference generation performance using ILC is tested using simulation. The results show that PSO and ILC perform well in estimating model parameters and generating powder flow rate references, respectively. The proposed height control methodology is then tested experimentally for tracking a constant height reference with constant traverse speed and constant laser power. The experimental results indicate that the controller performs well in tracking constant height references in comparison with the widely used fixed process parameter strategy. The application of layer-to-layer height control produces more consistent layer height increment and a more precise track height, which saves machining time and increases powder efficiency.

A Comparative Study of Carbide Tools in Drilling of CFRP and CFRP-Ti Stacks

Abstract: A comparative study was conducted to investigate drilling of a titanium (Ti) plate stacked on a carbon fiber reinforced plastic panel. The effects on tool wear and hole quality in drilling using micrograin tungsten carbide (WC) tools were analyzed. The experiments were designed to first drill CFRP alone to create 20 holes. Then CFRP-Ti stacks were drilled for the next 20 holes with the same drill bit. This process was repeated until drill failure. The drilling was done with tungsten carbide (WC) twist drills at two different speeds (high and low). The feed rate was kept the same for each test, but differs for each material drilled. A Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), and a Confocal Laser Scanning Microscope (CLSM), were used for tool wear analysis. Hole size and profile, surface roughness, and Ti burrs were analyzed using a coordinate measuring system, profilometer, and an optical microscope with a digital measuring device. The experimental results indicate that the Ti drilling accelerated WC flank wear while CFRP drilling deteriorated the cutting edge. Entry delamination, hole diameter errors, and surface roughness of the CFRP plate became more pronounced during drilling of CFRP-Ti stacks, when compared with the results from CFRP only drilling. Damage to CFRP holes during CFRP-Ti stack drilling may be caused by Ti chips, Ti adhesion on the tool outer edge, and increased instability as the drill bits wear.Copyright © 2011 by ASME

A Heat Transfer Model Based on Finite Difference Method for Grinding

Abstract: A heat transfer model for grinding has been developed based on the finite difference method (FDM). The proposed model can solve transient heat transfer problems in grinding, and has the flexibility to deal with different boundary conditions. The model is first validated by comparing it with the traditional heat transfer model for grinding which assumes the semiinfinite workpiece size and adiabatic boundary conditions. Then it was used to investigate the effects of workpiece size, feed rate, and cooling boundary conditions. Simulation results show that when the workpiece is short or the feed rate is low, transient heat transfer becomes more dominant during grinding. Results also show that cooling in the grinding contact zone has much more significant impact on the reduction of workpiece temperature than that in the leading edge or trailing edge. The model is further applied to investigate the convection heat transfer at the workpiece surface in wet and minimum quantity lubrication (MQL) grinding. Based on the assumption of linearly varying convection heat transfer coefficient in the grinding contact zone, FDM model is able to calculate convection coefficient from the experimentally measured grinding temperature profile. The average convection heat transfer coefficient in the grinding contact zone was estimated as 4.2 × 105 W/m2 -K for wet grinding and 2.5 × 104 W/m2 -K for MQL grinding using vitrified bond CBN wheels.

Visual-Based Automation of Peg-in-Hole Microassembly Process

Abstract: An automatic visual-servo microassembly system is installed and tested. With a compliant polyurethane microgripper, a visual-servo system is implemented for micropeg alignment, micropeg transportation, and peg-in-hole assembly. The microassembly process is controlled by developing dynamic position-based servo through image calibration, regional-scanning with edge-fitting, and shadow-aided positioning algorithm. The main specifications of the system are gripping range of 60–90 μm, working space of 7 mm × 5.74 mm × 15 mm, and system bandwidth of 25 Hz. In performance test, cylindrical copper micropegs of diameter 80 μm and 88 μm are automatically aligned, gripped, transported, and assembled to a stainless rod with a mating hole of 100 μm.

An Investigation On Deformation-Based Surface Texturing

Abstract: Micro surface textures have various applications, such as friction/wear reduction and bacteria sterilization. Deformation-based micro surface texturing has the potential of economically creating micro surface textures over a large surface area. A novel desktop micro surface texturing system is proposed for efficiently and economically fabricating micro channels on the surface of thin sheet material for micro fluid and friction/wear reduction applications. Both experimental and numerical studies were employed to analyze the problems of the flatness of the textured sheet, the uniform of the channel depth and pile-ups built up during the micro surface texturing process. The results demonstrated a clear relationship between relative velocity of the upper and lower rolls and the flatness of the textured sheet and the final profile of the micro channels.Copyright © 2011 by ASME

Throughput Bottleneck Prediction of Manufacturing Systems Using Time Series Analysis

Abstract: Throughput bottlenecks define and constrain the productivity of a production line. The most cost-effective way to improve system throughput is to mitigate bottlenecks toward a balanced system. Most of the currently used bottleneck detection schemes found in literature utilize long-term analysis to identify the bottlenecks for a known period and ignore the operation dynamics leading to bottleneck shifts. This paper proposes a method for predicting the throughput bottlenecks of a production line using autoregressive moving average (ARMA) model. We consider the production blockage and starvation times of each station to be a time series used to predict throughput bottlenecks. It is realized that the blockage and starvation times of a production line are critical indicators reflecting the production system dynamics and its internal material flow. As the first attempt in literature for throughput bottleneck prediction, the results demonstrate that the ARMA model can accurately predict blockage and starvation information of each station and hence can accurately predict the system throughput bottleneck, which will lead to the most significant production improvement.

Development of a New Model for the Varying Dynamics of Flexible Pocket-Structures During Machining

Abstract: Many of the aerospace components are characterized by having pocket-shaped thin-walled structures. During milling, the varying dynamics of the workpiece due to the change of thickness affects the final part quality. Available dynamic models rely on computationally prohibitive techniques that limit their use in the aerospace industry. In this paper, a new dynamic model was developed to predict the vibrations of thin-walled pocket structures during milling while taking into account the continuous change of thickness. The model is based on representing the change of thickness of a pocket-structure with a two-directional multispan plate. For the model formulation, the Rayleigh–Ritz method is used together with multispan beam models for the trial functions in both the x- and y-directions. An extensive finite element (FE) validation of the developed model was performed for different aspect ratios of rectangular and nonrectangular pockets and various change of thickness schemes. It was shown that the proposed model can accurately capture the dynamic effect of the change of thickness with prediction errors of less than 5% and at least 20 times reduction in the computation time. Experimental validation of the models was performed through the machining of thin-walled components. The predictions of the developed models were found to be in excellent agreement with the measured dynamic responses.

Ultrasonic Vibration-Assisted Pelleting of Cellulosic Biomass for Biofuel Manufacturing

Abstract: Increasing demands and concerns for the reliable supply of liquid transportation fuels makes it important to find alternative sources to petroleum based fuels. One such alternative is cellulosic biofuels. However, several technical barriers have hindered large-scale, cost-effective manufacturing of cellulosic biofuels, such as the low density of cellulosic feedstocks (causing high transportation and storage costs) and the lack of efficient pretreatment procedures for cellulosic biomass. This paper reports experimental investigations on ultrasonic vibration-assisted (UV-A) pelleting of cellulosic feedstocks. It studies effects of input variables (ultrasonic vibration, moisture content, and particle size) on output variables (pellet density, stability, durability, pelleting force, and yield of biofuel conversion) in UV-A pelleting. Results showed that UV-A pelleting could increase the density of cellulosic feedstocks and the yield of biofuel conversion.

PDE-Constrained Gaussian Process Model on Material Removal Rate of Wire Saw Slicing Process

Abstract: Thickness uniformity of wafers is a critical quality measure in a wire saw slicing process. Nonuniformity occurs when the material removal rate (MRR) changes over time during a slicing process, and it poses a significant problem for the downstream processes such as lapping and polishing. Therefore, the MRR should be modeled and controlled to maintain the thickness uniformity. In this paper, a PDE-constrained Gaussian process model is developed based on the global Galerkin discretization of the governing partial differential equations (PDEs). Three features are incorporated into the statistical model: (1) the PDEs governing the wire saw slicing process, which are obtained from engineering knowledge, (2) the systematic errors of the manufacturing process, and (3) the random errors, including both random manufacturing errors and measurement noises. Real experiments are conducted to provide data for the validation of the PDE-constrained Gaussian process model by estimating the model coefficients and further using the model to predict the overall MRR profile. The results of cross-validation indicate that the prediction performance of the PDE-constrained Gaussian process model is better than the widely used universal Kriging model with a mean of second order polynomial functions.

Numerical Modeling of Transport Phenomena and Dendritic Growth in Laser Spot Conduction Welding of 304 Stainless Steel

Abstract: A multi-scale model is developed to investigate the heat/mass transport and dendrite growth in laser spot conduction welding. A macro-scale transient model of heat transport and fluid flow is built to study the evolution of temperature and velocity field of the molten pool. The molten pool geometry and other solidification parameters are calculated, and the predicted pool geometry matches well with experimental result. On the micro-scale level, the dendritic growth of 304 stainless steel is simulated by a novel model that has coupled the Cellular Automata (CA) and Phase Field (PF) methods. The epitaxial growth is accurately identified by defining both the grain density and dendrite arm density at the fusion line. By applying the macro-scale thermal history onto the micro-scale calculation domain, the microstructure evolution of the entire molten pool is simulated. The predicted microstructure achieves a good quantitative agreement with the experimental results.Copyright © 2011 by ASME

Modeling of the Effect of Machining Parameters on Maximum Thickness of Cut in Ultrasonic Elliptical Vibration Cutting

Abstract: found to be an efficient method for the ultraprecision machining of hard and brittle materials. During the machining at a given nominal depth of cut (DOC), the UEVC technique, because of its inherent mechanism, effectively reduces the thickness of cut (TOC) of the workpiece material through overlapping vibration cycles. For the ductile machining of hard and brittle materials, this TOC plays a critical role. However, the relationships between the nominal DOC, the TOC, and the relevant machining parameters have not yet been studied. In this study, the role playing machining parameters for the TOC are firstly investigated and then theoretical relations are developed for predicting the maximum TOC sTOC md with respect to the relevant machining parameters. It is found that four machining parameters, namely, workpiece cutting speed, tool vibration frequency, and tangential and thrust directional vibration amplitudes, influence the TOC m. If the speed ratio (ratio of the workpiece cutting speed to the maximum tool vibration speed in the tangential direction) is within a critical value 0.12837, then a reduced TOC m can be obtained. It is also realized that if the TOC m can be kept lower than the critical DOC sDOC cr d, then ductile finishing of brittle materials can be achieved. The above phenomenon has been substantiated by experimental findings while machining a hard and brittle material, sintered tungsten carbide. The findings suggest that the same concept can be applied for the ductile cutting of other hard and brittle materials. fDOI: 10.1115/1.4003118 g

A novel approach for the inspection of flexible parts without the use of special fixtures

Abstract: In a free state, flexible parts may have different shapes compared to their computer-aided design (CAD) model. Such parts may likewise undergo large deformations depending on their space orientation. These conditions severely restrict the feasibility of inspecting flexible parts without restricting the deformations of the part and therefore require dedicated and expensive tools such as a conformation jig or a fixture to maintain the integrity of the part. To address these challenges, this paper proposes a new inspection method, the iterative displacement inspection (IDI) algorithm, that evaluates profile variations without the need for specialized fixtures. This study examines 32 models of simulated manufactured parts to show that the IDI algorithm can iteratively deform the meshed CAD model until it resembles the scanned manufactured part, which enables their comparison. The method deforms the mesh in such a manner so as to ensure its smoothness. This way, neither surface defects nor the measurement noise of the scanned parts are concealed during the matching process. As a result, the case studies illustrate that the method's error essentially only represents the scanned part's measurement noise. The inspection results, therefore, solely reflect the effect of variations from the manufacturing process itself and not the deformation of the part.

Cavity Air Flow Behavior During Filling in Microinjection Molding

Abstract: Process monitoring of microinjection molding (µ-IM) is of crucial importance in understanding the effects of different parameter settings on the process, especially on its performance and consistency with regard to parts' quality. Quality factors related to mold cavity air evacuation can provide valuable information about the process dynamics and also about the filling of a cavity by a polymer melt. In this paper, a novel experimental setup is proposed to monitor maximum air flow and air flow work as an integral of the air flow over time by employing a microelectromechanical system gas sensor mounted inside the mold. The influence of four µIM parameters, melt temperature, mold temperature, injection speed, and resistance to air evacuation, on two air flow-related output parameters is investigated by carrying out a design of experiment study. The results provide empirical evidences about the effects of process parameters on cavity air evacuation, and the influence of air evacuation on the part flow length.

Improved Sheet Bulk Metal Forming Processes by Local Adjustment of Tribological Properties

Abstract: This paper is focused on a combined deep drawing and extrusion process dedicated to the new process class of sheet bulk metal forming (SBMF). Exemplified by the forming of gearings, combined sheet and bulk forming operations are applied to sheet metal in order to form local functional features through an intended and controlled change of the sheet thickness. For investigations on the form filling and the identification of significant influencing factors on the material flow, a FE simulation model has been built. The FE model is validated by the results of manufacturing experiments using DC04 with a thickness of 2.0 mm as blank material. Due to the fact that the workpiece is in extensive contact to the tool surface and that the pressure reaches locally up to 2500 MPa, the tribological conditions are a determining factor of the process. Thus, their influence is discussed in detail in this paper. In the first instance, different frictional zones having a distinct effect on the resulting material flow are identified and their effect on improved form filling is demonstrated. Subsequently, a more comprehensive methodology is developed to define tribological zones of forming tools. For this, a system analysis of the digital mock-up of the forming process is performed. Besides friction, other relevant aspects of forming tool tribology like contact pressure, sliding velocity, and surface magnification are considered. The gathered information is employed to partition the tools into tribological zones. This is done by systematically intersecting and re-merging zones identified for each of the criterion. The so-called load-scanning test allows the investigation of the friction coefficient in dependence of the contact pressure and possible loading limits of tribological pairings. It provides an appropriate tribological model test to evaluate tribological measures like coatings, surface textures and lubricants with respect to their targeted application in particular zones. The obtained results can be employed in the layout of further forming processes to reach the desired process behavior. This can be, for example, an improved form filling, less abrasive wear and adhesive damage or lower forming forces, respectively tool load for an improved durability of the die.

Metal Embedded Optical Fiber Sensors: Laser-Based Layered Manufacturing Procedures

Abstract: This paper describes laser-based layered manufacturing processes for embedding optical fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) in metal structures to develop cutting tools with embedded sensors. FBG is a type of optical fiber that is used for the measurement of parameters manifesting as the changes of strain or temperature. The unique features of FBGs have encouraged their widespread use in structural measurements, failure diagnostics, thermal measurements, pressure monitoring, etc. Considering the unique features of FBGs, embedding of the sensors in metal parts for in-situ load monitoring is a cutting-edge research topic with a variety of applications in machining tools, aerospace, and automotive industries. The metal embedding process is a challenging task, as the thermal decay of UV-written gratings can start at a temperature of � 200 � C and accelerates at higher temperatures. The embedding process described in this paper consists of low temperature laser microdeposition of on-fiber silver thin films followed by nickel electroplating in a steel part. A microscale laser-based direct write (DW) method, called laser-assisted maskless microdeposition (LAMM), is employed to deposit silver thin films on optical fibers. To attain thin films with optimum quality, a characterization scheme is designed to study the geometrical, mechanical, and microstructural properties of the thin films in terms of the LAMM process parameters. To realize the application of embedded FBG sensors in machining tools, the electroplating process is followed by the deposition of a layer of tungsten carbide-cobalt (WC-Co) by using laser solid freeform fabrication (LSFF). An optomechanical model is also developed to predict the optical response of the embedded FBGs. The performance of the embedded sensor is evaluated in a thermal cycle. The results show that the sensor attains its linear behavior after embedding. Microscopic analysis of the tool with the embedded sensor clearly exhibits the integrity of the deposited layers without cracks, porosity, and delamination. [DOI: 10.1115/1.4004203]