Quality classification model with machine learning for porosity prediction in laser welding aluminum alloys

The growing implementation of aluminum alloys in industry has focused interest on studying transformation processes such as laser welding. This process generates different kinds of signals that can be monitored and used to evaluate it and make a quality analysis of the final product. Internal defects that are difficult to detect, such as porosity, are one of the most critical irregularities in laser welding. This kind of defect may result in a critical failure of the manufactured goods, affecting the final user. In this research, a porosity prediction method using a high-speed camera monitoring system and machine learning (ML) algorithms is proposed and studied to find the most performant methodology to resolve the prediction problem. The methodology includes feature extraction by high-speed X-ray analysis, feature engineering and selection, imbalance treatment, and the evaluation of the ML algorithms by metrics such as accuracy, AUC (area under the curve), and F1. As a result, it was found that the best ML algorithm for porosity prediction in the proposed setup is Random Forest with a 0.83 AUC and 75% accuracy, 0.75 in the F1 score for no porosity, and 0.76 in the F1 score for porosity. The results of the proposed model and methodology indicate that they could be implemented in industrial applications for enhancing the final product quality for welded plates, reducing process waste and product quality analysis time, and increasing the operational performance of the process.