High-Res X-Ray Vision for Spotting Product Defects
February 13, 2016
The company Exact Metrology (Cincinnati, OH) offers CT scanning technology of medical device components, which can be used to easily see within and without an array of components.
Brian Buntz
The first commercially available CT scanner debuted in the early 1970s and quickly emerged as a powerful medical tool soon. It is finding growing use for product inspection and manufacturing applications as well.
Exact Metrology had a video display in their booth at MD&M West showing off the abilities of the technology. The video, which shows a 3-D CT scan of a toothpick was so precise it clearly showed not only the individual fibers of the wood, but also the detailed geometric forms of how they connected.
In recent years, CT scanning has begun to become more popular for manufacturing applications, given that it provides a nondestructive way of identifying defects and failures within intricate parts and packaging. It can also help companies with material analysis and reverse engineering. It can also be used for non-contact measurement and for revealing details such as wall thickness and porosity.
The company is fond of showing off the powers of 3-D CT scans through the use of videos (see the video below for another example) as well as in footage of random objects that the company has scanned, which include everything from gourds to candy bars. The company boasts that CT scanning offers the only method of obtaining true dimensional data without destroying the components being tested.
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