Researchers at the Swedish Materials Science beamline at PETRA III in Hamburg, Germany, are pioneering ways to integrate advanced non-destructive testing (NDT) methods into industrial quality control for laser-manufactured components.
Traditional quality control often relies on destructive testing, such as cutting and polishing weld sections for microscopic analysis. While informative, these methods are limited to surface-level observations and cannot guarantee the performance of the final product. By contrast, X-ray imaging and other non-destructive techniques provide detailed insights into internal material properties, enabling manufacturers to ensure product reliability and gain a competitive edge.
The Swedish Materials Science beamline was designed for in-depth measurement of metallic materials during production, processing, and use. Leveraging the beamline, researchers are capturing material phases, phase transformations, residual stress, and crack propagation during laser processing and cooling. This approach allows manufacturers to understand the root causes of defects and optimize production processes.
One major initiative, funded by the Swedish Research Council, has introduced a continuous wave manufacturing laser at the beamline. The dual aim is to:
- Enable advanced scientific and practical research on materials during laser processing.
- Make the setup accessible to QC engineers and other industrial users unfamiliar with synchrotron facilities.
This effort represents a key step in merging Big Science with industrial quality control, allowing companies to adopt NDT techniques for real-time process monitoring and product validation. By providing industrially relevant test facilities and user training, the Swedish beamline is expanding the practical use of cutting-edge X-ray methods in manufacturing.
The project underscores the growing role of non-destructive testing technologies in modern manufacturing, offering deeper insights into materials, reducing costly failures, and ensuring the consistent quality of advanced products shipped to customers.
