Strong Collaboration In Industrial X-Ray and CT Inspection
In developing and manufacturing premium cars, guaranteeing the quality, reliability and safety of parts is crucial. At the same time, any delay in production or quality analysis quickly becomes a significant cost factor. For almost 20 years the German vehicle manufacturer BMW has relied on industrial Computed Tomography (CT) and X-Ray solutions from Waygate Technologies to help ensure that its rigid standards are met from an early stage while maintaining high productivity.
Global Network For Comprehensive Quality Management
Industrial inspection with advanced X-ray and CT offers the best non-destructive flaw detection in safety critical parts in the automotive sector. The Material and Process Analysis department of BMW has built a broad network of industrial CT systems for non-destructive testing (NDT) worldwide to accompany the increasing interest in and demand for new forms of mobility. With many installed X-ray and 3D CT systems from Waygate Technologies, the department reliably analyzes safety critical parts and prototypes like battery modules, hydrogen tanks, castings, or 3D printed parts.
BMW uses CT systems of the Phoenix product line for many purposes such as 2D electronics inspection, casting inspection in its foundries, the inspection of batteries after abuse tests during EV development, quality assurance in its motor bike division, and for hundreds of different analysis challenges in its Material and Process Analysis department.
When the BMW team faces a need for additional CT capacity they can also rely on the support from Waygate Technologies’ Customer Solutions Centers (CSC) in Munich and worldwide. Through scanning-as-a-service BMW has access to the whole variety of CT and X-Ray systems from the industrial inspection experts and all of the manifold features the Phoenix product portfolio provides.
The range of available systems includes the recently launched Phoenix Power|scan HE, a very powerful high energy CT system in Cincinnati, USA, that allows scans of high absorbing objects such as battery packs of up to 2m in size and 100 kg weight. In addition to the equipment, the humans delivering these services to BMW play a crucial role. The team working at the CSCs has combined CT experience of several hundred years available for the benefit of BMW.
These services are used for feasibility checks with respect to the testing of new products and components. Throughout these projects, the experienced team at the CSCs likes to push the CT inspection techniques to new boundaries. Vice versa BMW can feedback the results to the product design team.
As global market leader for industrial CT solutions, the systems from Waygate Technologies spearhead the field in imaging quality. The company owns the solution for the entire image chain.
As a key component the high dynamic detectors exclusive to Waygate Technologies, like the Dynamic 41|100 detector, help create the sharpest images available in the market. Proprietary micro and nano-focus tubes with stable spots as well as several software features like the Flash! filter as well as the patented artifact reduction technology scatter|correct contribute significantly to the superior image quality generated for all kinds of industrial inspection and NDT challenges.
For more information: www.bakerhughes.com/waygate-technologies
