Fringe Inspection gave Rowan engineers quantitative, layer-by-layer evidence to continue their first independent metal build after an unexpected preparation error.
CHICAGO and GLASSBORO, N.J. AUGUST 6TH, 2026 Phase3D and Rowan University’s Digital Engineering Hub (DEHub) today announced a partnership focused on advancing data-driven metal additive manufacturing research, education, and process confidence. The collaboration demonstrated its practical value during the first build Rowan’s team ran independently after installation of its new metal additive manufacturing system.
Alex Kinoian, Undergraduate Research Student (left) and Andrew Holliday, Phase3D Applications Engineering Manager (right), after Fringe Inspection installation on the DMG MORI LASERTEC 30 SLM US metal 3D printer
The build ran on Rowan’s newly installed DMG MORI LASERTEC 30 SLM US system, with Phase3D’s Fringe Inspection™ measuring the build surface layer by layer. Early in the printing process, a build-preparation output error caused approximately the first 60 layers to print only the contours of the parts, effectively skipping the intended infill or support structures.
These errors cause not only a defective part, but pose a danger to the printer state. a high-risk transition from an erroneous contours-only setting to full infill without the intended supporting geometry a part could peel, deform, protrude above the powder bed, or fail to form. A single protruding part can also disrupt the recoater and create cascading effects across the build and damage the printer. With such an error occurring so early in a build many operators would cancel this part precautionarily or continue with unmeasured risk.
From an uncertain build to a measured decision
Rowan’s team decided to proceed, but with a clear stop condition developed together with Phase3D: if the Fringe Inspection heightmaps showed part protrusions, abnormal swelling, improper powder coverage, or evidence that the parts were not forming correctly, the team would cancel the build immediately.
Throughout the transition, the Rowan and Phase3D teams monitored the height of the melted areas after exposure and checked the subsequent powder layers for recoater-related issues. Standard machine observation and layer images can show that something looks different, but they do not provide any quantitative surface-height information. Fringe Inspection supplied the measurement data needed to make a defensible go/no-go decision as the build progressed, with calibrated, validated accuracy.
BUILD TRANSITION: FRINGE INSPECTION HEIGHTMAPS
The result: evidence to keep building
The heightmaps captured the transition from contour-only layers to the bulk part geometry. The measurements showed that the parts were printing successfully, with no signs of swelling, part protrusion, or peeling. The powder layers also remained healthy, with no indication that the recoater was being disrupted. With that evidence, the team continued the build to successful completion.
The value was immediate: instead of stopping the build solely because of uncertainty, or accepting an unmeasured risk, the team had a quantitative basis to continue. On Rowan’s first independent build, Phase3D turned an unexpected process event into a monitored, evidence-based decision.
“Day one is when inspection must prove its value. This build did not follow the plan, but Rowan did not have to choose between canceling reflexively and hoping for the best. Fringe Inspection gave the team a measurement-driven basis to continue, without the possibility of a build crash or printer installation delay”
Niall O’Dowd, Ph.D., Founder and CEO, Phase3D
A platform for research, education, and qualification
The partnership gives Rowan students and researchers access to calibrated, unit-based heightmaps from the metal additive manufacturing process. The teams plan to use those measurements to support process understanding, anomaly detection, qualification research, and hands-on education in data-driven manufacturing.
“Our goal at DEHub is to connect advanced manufacturing with trusted data. This first build showed our students and researchers how real-time, quantitative inspection can support decisions at the moment they matter most.”
Antonios Kontsos, Ph.D., Director, Digital Engineering Hub at Rowan University
About Phase3D
Phase3D advances in-situ quality assurance for additive manufacturing through Fringe Inspection™. By measuring every layer of a build in real time and generating repeatable, calibratable, unit-bas ed heightmaps, Phase3D helps manufacturers identify anomalies, reduce scrap, increase reliability, and scale additive manufacturing production with confidence. Phase3D is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.
About Rowan University
Rowan University is a public research institution serving nearly 25,000 students through bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral, and professional programs. Based in Glassboro, New Jersey, Rowan combines practical research with undergraduate education and is nationally recognized for innovation, affordability, and public-private partnerships. The Digital Engineering Hub at the Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering connects advanced manufacturing, sensing, computing, and digital engineering to support research, education, and industry collaboration. Learn more at www.rowan.edu.
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