Within the European MULTI-FUN project, InPhoTech developed metal-coated optical fibres for integration into additively manufactured components, helping turn structural metal parts into sensing-enabled systems.
Can a metal component monitor what is happening inside it? InPhoTech contributed to turning this idea into a practical demonstration through the European MULTI-FUN research project.
MULTI-FUN explored how additive manufacturing can combine different materials and functions within a single component. InPhoTech’s role focused on fibre-optic sensing: designing suitable metal coatings and helping integrate optical fibres into aluminium parts made using Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM).
This is a demanding environment for conventional optical fibres. The sensor must survive manufacturing and remain capable of measuring the condition of the finished part. Working with consortium partners including LORTEK and INOCON, InPhoTech developed and tested approaches for embedding specially coated fibres in metal.
The project reported successful integration and distributed temperature and strain measurement, alongside mechanical evaluation of fibre-embedded aluminium samples. An aviation-related bulkhead demonstrator combined a metal structure with embedded optical fibres for structural health monitoring.
The result points towards a new generation of intelligent components able to provide information about their own condition. Such information could support inspection, maintenance decisions and reliability in applications ranging from aerospace to industrial machinery.
MULTI-FUN provided an important foundation for InPhoTech’s subsequent work on sensor-enabled metal structures and advanced manufacturing.
Further reading
- European Commission | MULTI-FUN final project report
- MULTI-FUN consortium | InPhoTech article on embedded sensing (PDF)
MULTI-FUN received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under Grant Agreement No 862617.