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An effective detection model based on YOLO for pore defects in additive manufacturing
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  • Published: 21 March 2026

An effective detection model based on YOLO for pore defects in additive manufacturing

  • Rui Ni1,
  • Siwen Xu1,
  • Hanning Chen2,4,
  • Maowei He2,
  • Zhaodi Ge3 &
  • …
  • Xiaodan Liang2 

Scientific Reports , Article number:  (2026) Cite this article

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We are providing an unedited version of this manuscript to give early access to its findings. Before final publication, the manuscript will undergo further editing. Please note there may be errors present which affect the content, and all legal disclaimers apply.

Subjects

  • Engineering
  • Mathematics and computing

Abstract

Microscopic imaging serves as a crucial method for assessing the quality of selective laser melting (SLM). Traditional approaches rely on manual inspection, which limits their efficiency and reproducibility. To address the demand for defect detection and analysis, this paper proposes a synergistic method for analyzing pore defects in microscopic images, integrating image segmentation with polynomial fitting. We designed a high-performance image segmentation model. Its capabilities are enhanced through an adaptive curved learning rate adjustment strategy, an attention-based feature extraction module, and a lightweight feature fusion network. Additionally, the model automatically calculates and quantifies the pixel proportion of pore defects within micrographs. Experiments conducted on a constructed SLM pore defect microscopic image dataset demonstrated excellent performance, enabling effective calibration and quantification of defect information. Chebyshev polynomials are employed to fit the nonlinear relationship between key process parameters and porosity. Based on these results, we conducted an in-depth analysis of how different process parameters influence pore defect formation, revealing the intrinsic correlation between process parameters and defects. This study provides an effective automated detection and analysis tool for SLM quality assessment and analysis.

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Data availability

Data available on request from the authors.

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Acknowledgements

We sincerely thank all those who provided support and assistance during this research process.

Funding

This research received no external funding.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Mechanical Engineering, Tiangong University, Tianjin, 300387, China

    Rui Ni & Siwen Xu

  2. School of Computer Science and Technology, Tiangong University, Tianjin, 300387, China

    Hanning Chen, Maowei He & Xiaodan Liang

  3. School of Control Science and Engineering, Tiangong University, Tianjin, 300387, China

    Zhaodi Ge

  4. Shaoxing Keqiao Institute of Tiangong University, Shaoxing, 312030, China

    Hanning Chen

Authors
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Contributions

Conceptualization, Hanning Chen and Xiaodan Liang; methodology, Maowei He; software, Rui Ni; validation, Siwen Xu; formal analysis, Xiaodan Liang.; investigation, Siwen Xu; resources, Hanning Chen; data curation, Rui Ni; writing—original draft preparation, Siwen Xu and Rui Ni; writing—review and editing, Rui Ni; visualization, Zhaodi Ge; supervision, Hanning Chen and Xiaodan Liang; project administration, Hanning Chen; funding acquisition, Hanning Chen. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Xiaodan Liang.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Ni, R., Xu, S., Chen, H. et al. An effective detection model based on YOLO for pore defects in additive manufacturing. Sci Rep (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-43970-2

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  • Received: 07 November 2025

  • Accepted: 09 March 2026

  • Published: 21 March 2026

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-43970-2

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Keywords

  • Selective laser melting
  • YOLO
  • Image segmentation
  • Pore defect
  • Chebyshev polynomial
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