High Energy CT Service for Casting Inspection

Jesse Garant Metrology Center (USA and Canada) is announcing the launch of its new high energy industrial computed tomography system. The company will be the only private lab in the world to provide this specialized inspection service, transforming the landscape for nondestructive testing and supporting advanced manufacturing.
The system is the first of its kind that pairs a 3 MeV cone-beam x-ray source with a large format 2k x 2k flat panel digital detector. It will be able to accommodate rapid inspection of mid-size parts, up to 44.5 inches in diameter by 63 inches in height. While existing high energy CT services may take 4-16 hours to complete scans, the new system is able to scan parts in less than an hour.
The new capabilities will directly benefit the metalworking industry, allowing for feasible internal inspection of castings made from ferrous and non-ferrous materials, including identification of defects like porosity and inclusions, weld inspection, wall thickness analyses, first article inspection, and actual to nominal comparisons for out of tolerance features.
“We’re helping manufacturers qualify and validate cast 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,” says Jesse Garant, President. “We aim to support metalcasting innovations by providing internal inspection of parts that would otherwise go into production without proper inspection.”
In addition to a drastic reduction in inspection time for parts and assemblies, the exclusive service will also tackle inspection of complex assemblies, allowing for cleaner separation of internal components and inspection of higher density materials not possible with lower energy systems.
The costly endeavor led by the company required a sizeable $4.5 million investment in technology as well as three years of planning, design, development, and construction to reach full operation. The new system required sourcing from both local and international manufacturers, vendors, and specialists, including the construction of the largest 1m x 1m flat panel detector in the world.