X-ray computed tomography for manufacturing metrology: challenges and solutions for the improvement of measurement accuracy

Industrial products used in high-end applications are characterized by metrological challenges and complexities, due to several reasons such as the growing geometrical complexity, micro-scale non-accessible/internal features, complex surface topography, and presence of internal defects. To overcome these challenges, X-ray computed tomography (CT) is increasingly used for non-destructive metrological analyses of industrial parts, for example in terms of geometrical and dimensional measurements of both outer and inner geometries, and defects analysis. Moreover, thanks to the sufficiently high achievable resolutions, features down to few microns and topographies of additively manufactured surfaces can also be evaluated. However, the measurement accuracy is still difficult to be adequately evaluated due to the lack of well-established and internationally accepted procedures. This presentation deals with the ongoing research at the University of Padova (Italy) aimed at developing advanced methods to verifying and enhancing CT measurement accuracy and to exploit the obtained CT data for improving the understanding and precision of manufacturing processes.