From 3D Scan to full inspection
CT scanning is perfect for the quality inspection of plastic connectors with deep pockets and geometry. More traditional equipment have difficulties to reach these zones. CT scanning also allows for scanning of multiple samples at once, this is especially useful for multi-cavity and multi-shot measurements.
Colorplot
3D Scan – Results
The screenshots below show the final mesh. The scans have a voxel resolution of 21µm.
The parts are scanned on a ZEISS Metrotom Scout 6 – Industrial CT Scanner.
Hidden geometries and defects
With our CT scanner we can scan the complete inside of the part where traditional systems cannot get any data. Furthermore we also have data inside of the plastic material. This allows us to detect and quantify:
- Voids
- Porosities
- Fiber orientations
- Inclusions
- …
As you can see on the grayscale slice image through the plastic, this sample didn’t contain any defects on the inside.wit afbeelding (slice) wordt het duidelijk dat er geen interne defecten aanwezig zijn in de connector.
Assemblies
With CT scanning we can also check how different parts are assembled.
If the parts have different material densities, such as plastic and rubber, this is clearly visible through the difference in grayscale in the CT images.
Cavities and deformations can then be easily detected. An overlay with the nominal CAD data is also possible.
Serial measurements
Our CT scanner allows us to capture multiple samples in one scan.
This makes it the perfect technology for multi-cavity or multi-shot measurements.
Often a mould has multiple cavities, for example 4. For most of our projects we also have to measure multiple shots, for example 2. This means you have to inspect 12 samples in total.
Since this product is longer in 1 direction it is a perfect candidate for a multi-scan with multiple samples.
We scanned 1, 2, 4 and 12 samples in one scan with a voxel resolution of 21, 24, 26 and 38 µm.
As you can see from the screenshots there is no difference between 1, 2 and 4 samples. From 12 samples on we start to loose some information of the burrs but there is still plenty of resolution for a normal quality inspection of this part.
For this specific part we could probably go even one step further and scan 24 samples in one scan. There will still be enough resolution to inspect all the specifications of the technical drawing.
Free example data download
Below, you can download two GOM Inspect files and the corresponding measurement reports in PDF format.
- The first link contains one plastic sample and the CT volume data (large file size!).
- The second link contains the measurement report for this single sample and the CT data.
- The third link contains a complete statistical analysis of 10 different samples.
- The last link is the PDF report of this statistical analysis.
CT Scan with volume data and quality inspection – 1 sample
GOM Inspect File – size: 1.02 GB
Quality inspection report – 1 sample
PDF – size: 248,5 MB
Statistical analysis – 10 samples
GOM Inspect File – size: 533.3 MB
Quality inspection report – 10 samples
PDF – size: 60.1MB
For viewing our analysis and other scans in 3D, we recommend the free ZEISS Inspect software.
