Comparing Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and -Variational Autoencoder (ß-VAE) for Anomaly Detection in Selective Laser Melting (SLM) Process Data

Abstract

The usability of machine learning approaches for the development of in-situ process monitoring, automated anomaly detection and quality assurance for the selective laser melting (SLM) process receives currently increasing attention. For a given set of real machine data we compare two established methods, principal component analysis (PCA) and -variational autoencoder (ß-VAE), for their applicability in exploratory data analysis and anomaly detection. We introduce a PCA-based unsupervised feature extraction algorithm, which allows for root cause analysis of process anomalies. The ß-VAE enables a slightly more compact dimensionality reduction; we consider it an option for automated process monitoring systems.

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