General Information
In the manufacturing processes of the aeronautical sector, the use of composite materials is frequent practice allowing great advances which is rapidly spreading to other fields.
The high-quality standards required for this type of material requires a 100% quality control of the structural elements before these parts are assembled and subsequently used.
For conventional ultrasonic testing, single-element probes are used to generate an ultrasonic signal into the material to inspect it. However, when inspections are done on composite materials, phased array probes (PA) are now being used to detect component failures and thereby determine their quality more rapidly.
Tecnitest Robotic system has robotized trajectory tracking, applying Pulse-Echo, and Double Transmission techniques with Phased Array technology, as well as TT transmission, with water coupling, so that it is possible to inspect one hundred percent of monolithic structures of solid laminates and sandwich structures.
Detailed Specs
• An immersion tank.
• An ultrasound system SITAU “Phased Array” designed to operate in automatic systems which require multiple “phased array” probes to cover 100% of the area to be inspected. The connection of up to 7 “phased array” probes with 128 elements, each of them is allowed and offers the necessary flexibility to set the most appropriate configuration depending on the geometry of the component to be inspected.
• An articulated industrial robot with programmable manipulator in its 6 controlled axes, automatically controlled and programmable to work in a linked and independent way in 3 areas of movement simultaneously, applying the Pulse-Eco techniques with Phased Array, double transmission with plate reflective, and transmission for sandwich structures, so that the inspection of one hundred percent of the surface of the piece is possible.
• A robot guidance system with linear guides.
• A set of quick-change tools equipped with several slots.
• An inspection Station.
• A Security system, composed by physical barriers, optical barriers, security stop buttons, control cabinet.
• “Visualscan” Software with A-Scan,B-Scan and CScan result presentation available.
• 7 phased phased array probes with 128 elements. Up to 896 complex configurations.
• Autofocus complex structure detection.
• Dynamic focusing.
• Giga Ethernet Interface.
• Up to 8 digital Encoders.
The use of positioners and a gimbal allows the inspection of surfaces with certain curvature and a trajectory tracking according to a plane that is not necessarily horizontal.
The available inspection techniques are: PE and DT, with PA technology, for inspection of solid laminates with a flat or slightly curved shape. In this mode of operation, the pieces are placed in immersion in the bottom of the tank and the scan is performed according to a plane that can be vertical or horizontal.
The robot, with the previous information corresponding to the CAD design, is responsible for carrying out the inspection completely automatically using a custom-made probe head that allows to absorb deviations in the geometry.
The inspection technique available is PE, with PA probes. Inspection trajectories are programmed, based on the information of the coordinates of the piece to be inspected, so that the robot together with the head can follow the defined geometry.
It allows to inspect sandwich components, both flat and with complex geometry using a transmission tool.
