Jesse Garant Metrology Center launches CT inspection service

Jesse Garant Metrology Center (Dearborn, Mich. and Windsor, ON, Canada) has launched its new high-energy industrial CT scanning service. With this system, the company will be the only private lab in the world to provide this specialized inspection service. The center believes this new capability will transform the landscape for non-destructive testing and support innovation within 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. This new technology will be advantageous for pre-production inspection of a wide range of polymer and multi-material parts for engineered applications, commercial aerospace, automotive and large part medical device industries.

“It’s always been embedded in the vision of the company to provide trusted solutions that create meaningful advancements in industry. The new computed tomography system is a huge leap forward for mid-size part validation and feasible high-volume part inspection,” says Jesse Garant, president.

The unique system offers multiple advantages for non-destructive testing, including a drastic reduction in inspection time for scanning mid-size parts and assemblies. While existing high energy CT inspection services may take 4-16 hours to complete scans, the new system is able to scan parts in less than an hour. The service will also be beneficial for inspection of multi-material parts and assemblies, allowing for cleaner separation of internal components, and inspection of higher density materials not possible with lower energy micro CT systems.

“We’re helping manufacturers qualify and validate 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 Garant.

The company aims to fill the gap in current inspection technologies that limits the application of industrial CT technology due to part size and density. This will allow for internal inspection and dimensional validation of high value parts that would otherwise go into production without proper inspection. The exclusive technology will also provide useful analyses for composites manufacturing, including identification of defects like voids, wall thickness variations of large molded parts, part-to-part comparisons for multi cavity tooling, and actual to nominal comparisons for out of tolerance features.

The costly endeavor lead 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.

With federal operational permits currently in place, the new system is now live. Jesse Garant Metrology Center is currently taking on orders from companies who wish to access this innovative technology during the system’s ramp-up period.