Nikon XT H 450 for Turbine Blade and Casting Inspection

At the core of this powerful equipment is a 450kV/1200W micro-focus source, offering sufficient X-ray power to penetrate dense specimens, such as turbine blades and casted engine parts. Through automated inspection and high-speed CT reconstruction, blade manufacturers can run detailed CT inspection of turbine blades (e.g. wall thickness) to optimize the fuel economy of jet engines.

The proprietary 450kV/1200W source is the only micro-focus X-ray source at this energy, and delivers 25 micron repeatability and accuracy! As this micro-focus spot size is considerably smaller than existing mini-focus sources, the level of detail that it captures is beyond comparison. As the X-ray spot size of these sources is orders of magnitude smaller compared to minifocus sources, end users benefit from superior resolution, accuracy and a wider array of measurable parts.

When X-rays hit an object, they are absorbed but also scattered, an undesired phenomena that aggravates with the density of the part. Scatter coming from all points of the part reduces image contrast sensitivity, as is visible on flat panel images. The newly developed detector featuring a Curved Linear Array (CLA) of diodes optimizes the collection of the X-rays that travel through the part without capturing the scattered X-rays. By avoiding image pollution and associated contrast reduction, CLA realizes stunning image sharpness and contrast.

The linear array of diodes is curved to further enhance image quality by keeping the X-ray path length to diode receptors constant compared to straight arrays. This allows longer crystals to be used to enhance the X-ray sensitivity and hence boost the signal-to-noise ratio. The XT H 450 manages X-ray data acquisition to generate a 2D slice of highest possible accuracy and in order to obtain a 3D volume, various slices are combined.

With a maximum specimen diameter of 600mm and 500mm length, XT H 450 is a flexible X-ray/CT system that deals with multiple small blades at high magnification, and also large blades and large castings. In a production environment, the shop floor friendly system runs automatic data acquisition and inspection based on blade type, generating pass/fail status for each inspected part.

When taking radiographs of turbine blades, raw images and specific information items, such as blade profiles and inner and outer wall thicknesses, are stored in the database for traceability and further analysis.

XT H systems have a full protective enclosure – compliant to CE and DIN 54113 radiation safety standards and have continuous fail-to-safe monitoring during system operation.

Operation requires no special badges or protective clothing.