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Take a Look Inside

For an "outside in" look at products, Delphi's 3-D computertomography scans verify designs and identify optimization potential.

If industrial designers, engineers, and quality assurance professionals had one superpower, what would it be? Admittedly being "faster than a speeding bullet" could be helpful in this competitive market (as well as extremely fun). But there is no doubt that "X-ray vision" could be at the top of the list. The ability to "see" inside a component and easily compare it to original CAD (computer aided design) plans is a valuable key to enhancing product quality. With Delphi's new Industrial Computertomography Service Solutions (ICSS), these professionals now have the power to visualize the "inside story" through high-resolution, 3-D computertomography (CT).

This non-destructive, low-cost product testing method provides:

• X-ray analysis to identify and locate potential problematic structures invisible to the naked eye
• Geometry analysis including 2-D and 3-D dimensioning and wall thickness analysis
• Material analysis to assist in detecting potential defects and positioning
• Assembly analysis to visualize the fit of built-in components

The inside story

	Delphi's CT equipment scans a component to allow customers to "see" inside.

Delphi is one of the first companies in the automotive industry to use CT technology to look beyond what's visible to the human eye. Delphi's newly developed technology allows customers to examine structural properties of components without destroying them.

By digitalizing components into the computer with the aid of X-ray technology, Delphi's ICSS can compare components to original CAD data and perform on-screen analyses of their quality and tolerances. These findings help customers improve product quality, functionality, and development times.

"Flexibility, the latest equipment, and high engineering competence are some of the advantages we provide our customers," said Patrick Nikolajko, CT manager, supervisor of the measurement lab, from Delphi's Customer Technology Center (CTC) in Wuppertal, Germany. "Delphi has developed an extensive expertise in using computertomography to visualize and analyze hidden structures inside objects. Our expertise can help our customers conquer their quality and production challenges."

The 3-D difference

Digital radiography has been used for quality assurance throughout industry for many years. However, it can be limited in one significant way or, more specifically, it's missing an important dimension. Although both digital radiography and computertomography are based on X-rays, CT has the ability to produce three-dimensional images.

Computertomography scans objects in two dimensions from many viewing angles and then links the data to a three-dimensional display. As Nikolajko noted, "This makes Delphi's CT an outstanding tool for our customers to 'visually' analyze the unseen inner structure of their parts and assist in clearly revealing hidden details, especially those with moving components."

Seeing is knowing

	An X-ray image created by ICSS.
	3-D measurements showing exact sizes in order to compare the data to the CAD model.
	Color 3-D CT image clearly indicates component deviations from CAD data.
	ICSS can create virtual cross-sections without destroying the component.

Computertomography is used primarily for the structural analysis of components in molded parts. With CT technology, Delphi can help customers analyze molds or injection processes rapidly and at an early stage in production. With this information, they can then proceed to production with confidence and to market with high quality.

Another area where computertomography excels is digital linear measurement. From the 3-D scattering of the X-rays, Delphi employs special software to generate data with the exact dimensions of objects under examination. CAD data from the designs are then superimposed over that in order to compare each measured detail of components with their original designs. The resulting numerical values are used by the software to build a color-based display. Customers can easily and immediately see measurement deviations from target to actual based on the color scale.

In addition, the process allows the data model to be rotated as desired in real time. "Another benefit of computertomography that customers will appreciate is that cross-sections of components can be virtually cut and analyzed at any spot on the model without destroying them. And this can be done over and over again," said Marko Bangert, CT application engineer at the CTC in Wuppertal.

Delphi's ICSS provides exact, non-destructive and cost-effective CT analyses for a broad range of parts and components. The test results are presented in the following forms:

• Actual/nominal
• 3-D measurement
• 2-D measurement
• Assembly analysis
• Defect analysis
• X-ray photographs

The power of vision

In today's highly competitive and rapidly changing economy, quality and speed to market have become the key differentiators. Delphi's CT technology can help a wide range of automotive and non-automotive customers bring "vision" to their quality and production efforts.

At Delphi's Industrial Computertomography Service Solutions' high-tech facility, experienced technicians expertly apply CT technology, use analyzing software and interpret results. Customers can rely on Delphi's ICSS to help them realize important market advantages, such as:

• Improving production
• Optimizing engineering processes
• Detecting quality risks
• Ensuring quality standards
• Enhancing reverse engineering efforts (by scanning a part and making a 3-D CAD model of the scanned data)

Computertomography is known throughout industry as an effective and reliable measuring instrument, particularly for measuring tasks in the field of joining technology (dimensions and materials).

Delphi Industrial Computertomography Solutions Services

Delphi's innovative digital geometry processing service is coordinated by the engineering teams and management at Delphi's Wuppertal, Germany, and Luxembourg Customer Technology Centers (CTCs) in Europe.

"Delphi's biggest advantage is our well-established reputation as an innovative company and quality supplier," said Bernard Henrion, external testing supervisor at the CTC in Luxembourg. "We've leveraged that expertise to provide our customers with an extremely efficient and cost-effective tool to support their own quality efforts."

For more information about Delphi Industrial Computertomography Service Solutions, click here.