A high energy industrial CT scanning service, just launched by NDT’s Jesse Garant Metrology Center, is expected to transform the landscape for non-destructive testing and support innovation within advanced manufacturing.
The first-of-its-kind system pairs a 3MeV cone-beam x-ray source with a large format 2k x 2k flat panel digital detector, which will be able to accommodate rapid inspection of mid-size parts, up to 44.5in in diameter and 63in in height. These capabilities are intended to support the aerospace and aviation industries, enabling feasible internal inspection in 3D and 100% validation of production parts.
“It’s always been embedded in the vision of the company to provide trusted solutions that create meaningful advancements in industry. The new computed tomography system is a huge leap forward for mid-size part validation and feasible high-volume part inspection,” said Jesse Garant, company president.
The unique system offers multiple advantages for non-destructive testing, including a drastic reduction in inspection time for scanning mid-size parts and assemblies. While existing high-energy CT inspection services may take 4-16 hours to complete scans, the new system is able to scan parts in less than an hour.
The service will also be beneficial for inspection of multi-material parts and assemblies, enabling cleaner separation of internal components, and inspection of higher density materials not possible with lower energy micro CT systems.
“We’re helping manufacturers qualify and validate parts that either weren’t possible because of limitations with existing technologies or weren’t feasible because the service was too costly or took too much time,” said Garant.
As aerospace shifts toward greater usage of additive manufacturing, the technology will be a key factor in the inspection of flight-critical parts. It will also be advantageous for maintenance repair and overhaul (MRO), as selected assemblies and sub-assemblies can now be inspected without costly disassembly for diagnostic purposes.
November 16, 2017
