Abstract: A method of inspecting a thin walled structure includes the steps of manufacturing, using PBF-L or PBF-EB techniques, a primary structure wall connected to a shielding wall with a plurality of support pins that extend from the shielding wall to the primary structure wall, wherein the primary structure wall includes primary structure wall outer and inner surfaces and the shielding wall includes shielding wall outer and inner surfaces; creating, using a vision inspection system, one or more inspection images of the thin walled structure, and analyzing the one or more inspection images to determine if any of the shielding wall outer surface and shielding wall inner surface and primary structure wall outer surface and primary structure wall inner surface exhibit planar surface distortions that exceed tolerances.

Abstract: A build plate for a powder bed fusion-laser (PBF-L) additive manufacturing system has a support region and a top region. The top region is formed on the support region by a friction surfacing additive manufacturing (FSAM) process, such that the top region is under a compressive stress. The build plate can be prepared by preparing the build plate support region to receive the top region and depositing, using a FSAM process, a layer of metal on the support region. The layer of metal is formed with a compressive stress to form the top region. The top region is then machined to provide a desired surface roughness.