Ground-breaking 3D X-ray scanning technology

The Belgian company has developed a revolutionary 3D scanning technology based on X-rays that makes quality control on or next to production lines faster than ever before. The start-up provides a solution for ‘zero defect manufacturers’ in the medical, automotive and 3D printing industries. Thanks to AI, the solution works up to 100 times faster than alternatives, so that inspections will no longer be conducted at the expense of production time.

Quality inspections ensure that the parts rolling off the belt at production plants are free from defects and meet the customer’s specifications. If this is not done – or done improperly – the product may put the user in danger and result in expensive recall actions on the part of the manufacturer. However, these inspections are posing a constantly increasing challenge on branches of industry such as the automotive and medical sectors.

‘Parts are becoming more and more complex, but the options available to manufacturers for quality control purposes have not evolved in line with this’, says Dirk Hamelinck, CEO of Deltaray. ‘Zero defect manufacturers see their margins melting like snow in the sun as they invest more and more time and manpower to ensure a high standard of quality for their customers. Increasing the number of samples you take or opting for an inspection line performed exclusively by humans does not result in the sustainable solution they are looking for.’

Production speed

This is why the Belgian start-up Deltaray, with the support of the University of Antwerp and Imec.istart, developed a new scanning technology that allows manufacturers of critical parts to check all parts on or off the production line faster than ever before. The solution was presented today for the first time in the world at an open doors day at production partner Averna in Hasselt and represents a revolution in the quality inspection market.

Deltaray’s solution, recently selected by TAFTIE, the European Association of leading national innovation agencies, as a Belgian finalist for the 2020 EuroQuity Investor Event, performs these inspections faster than any other solution. ‘Thanks to artificial intelligence, we can now inspect parts 10 to 100 times faster than we could with other CT inspection systems,’ says Deltaray’s Business Director Walter Nackaerts. ‘This speed at which the system operates can also be further increased using multiple scans in parallel. This makes Deltaray the only player on the market that enables quality control to be performed at production speed.’

Fully automated

The start-up combines 3D technology with X-rays to generate a detailed 3D image of both the inside and outside of the part being inspected. A comparison is then made between this image and the CAD file – the model drawing of the part – as a quality standard for the inspection. The inspection is also performed from start to finish without any need for human intervention thanks to the robotized manipulation of the parts and fully automated workflows.

Quality Inspection 4.0

‘With our accelerated 3D X-ray breakthrough technology, we provide 100% quality assurance and maximum traceability at both process and product level. Hamelinck continues: ‘We want to open the door to Quality Inspection 4.0 for producers of critical parts. Our intention is to apply a built-to-order strategy and produce, install and deliver maintenance on site. We also provide a system kit for OEMs that allows them to integrate our technology into their automation solutions.’

News release from Deltaray, 16/06/2020

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