Andy Woodward President Wenzel America Ltd. Wixom, MI
www.wenzelamerica.com
QualityScan C
omputed Tomography or CT, as it’s commonly known, has been used in the medical field for years, but it’s use in industry has lagged far behind. Medical CT machines take multiple X-ray slices through human bodies so doctors can get a complete 3D image of the inte- rior of the body. The completeness and the clarity of information available to doctors today with CT scanning is amazing compared to just looking from the outside or using exploratory and invasive probing. Even X-rays have no comparison to what is possible with a CT scan. Industrial Computed Tomography machines offer the same leap forward in engineering and manufacturing. It offers engineers a 3D interior and exterior view of any component or complex assembly. One important difference between medical and Industrial CT machines, like those produced by Wenzel America, is that we use software and computers to add a much higher degree of dimensional accuracy to the images. A modern CT machine can look inside the part with absolute accuracy. The data set returned to the engineer can’t be duplicated with any other evaluation or measuring method. He or she can look inside the part, manipulate it and even “remove” and look at discreet components of different densities. No other measuring or testing method can do this. So, why aren’t more in industry adopting it? I can only think of two reasons you would not to be using CT for industrial applications: Reason No. 1—Lack of awareness about what CT measuring technol- ogy can do for your engineering and manufacturing processes. Many engineers don’t realize what they can do with a Computed Tomography system. A modern CT system can: • Measure an entire part inside and out. • Investigate why assemblies don’t work—without contact and without disassembly or destruction.
• See multimaterial assemblies and isolate the individual components. Pieces with different densities can be viewed separately and analyzed as discreet 3D objects or as the whole part.
• Analyze the material flow in plastic and composite parts, so bonding issues or inconsistent materials can be identified.
Reason No. 2—CT machines are expensive or unaffordable. The truth is modern manufacturers can’t afford to NOT have a CT machine. Why?
12
ManufacturingEngineeringMedia.com | November 2014
CT Scans: Not Just for Doctors Anymore
Mistakes are expensive. Endless part iterations are expensive. Recalls because of undetected defects are expensive.
There are three words that highlight why you cannot afford NOT to get a CT Machine or at least outsource the use of one. They are: Compromises. Liability. Reputation.
How many compromises do you make due to lack of time and technol- ogy? Throughout the history of industrial metrology, quality and R&D en- gineers have had to compromise and make decisions on what they should measure based on the technology and time they have had available to them. With CT measuring machines you can now capture the complete part (the shape and dimensions, the density, the material flow, any porosity, cracks or inclusions). This data is stored in “Voxels” (like 4D pixels.)
A modern CT machine can look inside a part with absolute accuracy. The data set returned to the engineer is invaluable.
At Wenzel America, we call this the “Part DNA.” It is everything the part is—everything that defines the part and the entire finished assem- bly. When engineers have the Part DNA, they can do everything they need to do—now or later—inspection, NDT, archiving, reverse engineering and investigation. Then there’s liability. Often the parts measured by CT machines have quite low value, but failure of such parts in the field can lead to disastrous effects, particularly where human safety is an issue. Whether the parts are for aircraft or automobiles, medical devices or electrical equipment and connectors their reliability is measured in terms of life and death. Finally, it’s your reputation. What is the cost of a recall to a car com- pany because something you made doesn’t work? What is the cost of loss of market share to a medical device manufacturer if the device doesn’t function properly? Besides potential lawsuits, the loss in reputation and market share could be a financial disaster. How much is not knowing your “Part DNA” costing you? Full adoption of Industrial CT systems is no longer a luxury and it is something no company can afford to ignore. ME
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156 |
Page 157 |
Page 158 |
Page 159 |
Page 160 |
Page 161 |
Page 162 |
Page 163 |
Page 164 |
Page 165 |
Page 166 |
Page 167 |
Page 168 |
Page 169 |
Page 170 |
Page 171 |
Page 172 |
Page 173 |
Page 174 |
Page 175 |
Page 176 |
Page 177 |
Page 178 |
Page 179 |
Page 180 |
Page 181 |
Page 182 |
Page 183 |
Page 184 |
Page 185 |
Page 186 |
Page 187 |
Page 188 |
Page 189 |
Page 190 |
Page 191 |
Page 192 |
Page 193 |
Page 194 |
Page 195 |
Page 196 |
Page 197 |
Page 198 |
Page 199 |
Page 200 |
Page 201 |
Page 202 |
Page 203 |
Page 204 |
Page 205 |
Page 206 |
Page 207 |
Page 208