volumegraphics

Industrial CT software version 3.5 detects and corrects design flaws and manufacturability issues

May 10, 2021 By Leslie Langnau Leave a Comment

The latest version of Volume Graphics’ high-end CT data analysis software suite, version 3.5, brings enhanced capabilities to manufacturers looking for better ways to inspect parts and improve designs—however they are made.

Particularly in the automotive, aerospace and defense industries, engineers exploring novel materials and manufacturing methods are increasingly turning to CT scanning to achieve a more accurate, non-destructive evaluation of product robustness and performance. Volume Graphics is a leading developer of software technology that interprets CT data from scans of almost any material to detect, analyze and visualize minute structural deviations that might affect part quality.

Version 3.5 provides automated design-geometry adjustment and repair tools that can be used to correct and/or offset issues that stem from the manufacturing process itself. Moldmakers, casting shops, and additive manufacturing providers can use the software to detect and visualize material and/or design defects or distortions—and then use included functions to correct their CAD designs, compare values against nominal limits and ensure that final part quality meets applicable industry standards.

Here are some of the highlights in version 3.5 of the data analysis software suite (which includes VGSTUDIO MAX, VGSTUDIO, VGMETROLOGY, VGinLINE, and myVGL):

· A reworked manufacturing geometry correction module. This software module benefits all those who work with some kind of mold, i.e., injection molders or casters. Enhancements in usability, with continuous updating and feedback on quality, give the CAD designer information that can be used to improve manufacturability. Filtering out points that can cause erroneous compensation results, the software fine-tunes surface fitting and provides compensations that are within tolerances, enabling the user to immediately see if their design changes are compatible with mold-making.

CAP: Manufacturing Geometry Correction Module. When compensating a geometry, a new filter option in Volume Graphics’ industrial CT software version 3.5 allows users to find fit points that cause inaccurate compensation results.

· Enhanced mesh compensation. For those working in simulation and AM/3D printing, this module provides easier navigation and understanding of the relationships between elements for better interpretation of part warpage, deformation and displacement—and automatically compensates designs to correct for deviations from manufacturing intent. Mesh updating is 10X faster, with improved results when scan and reference objects differ greatly in size or show other significant deviations. There are a greater number of control points for more granular and accurate results. In the case of lattice structures and other complex geometries, a uniform control-point placement function ensures full analysis of a design. The software can also shorten the 3D-print-and-test process by automatically running two sequential design-compensation results to move a design for AM closer to nominal before the first print.

Enhanced Mesh Compensation. A new compensation mesh color overlay in Volume Graphics’ industrial CT software version 3.5 helps users to clearly visualize, analyze and annotate any displacements in the compensation mesh.

· Porosity and inclusion analysis of castings. CT scans of cast parts can be inspected for porosity and compliance with Reference Sheet P 203 of the Federation of German Foundry Industry (BDG). With the help of the BDG P 203 porosity key, users can perform a 3D evaluation of detected volume deficits both in the complete casting and in freely defined sub-areas, such as functional areas with special attributes. The software enables inspection of multiple, different regions of interest in a part to see if porosity is within tolerances and whether there are any post-machining issues in the finished part. The data from this analysis is then ready for Q-DAS process control.

New Porosity and Inclusion Analysis of Castings. Usability improvements in the P 203 analysis, in Volume Graphics’ industrial CT software version 3.5, include combining the generation and editing of global and freeform porosity keys in one dialog. A new BDG P 203 name field allows users to add a comment for each porosity key.

Capability enhancements support engineering across many industries
Other enhancements in version 3.5 strengthen existing functions that support science, R&D, medical device development and other industries in addition to automotive and aerospace & defense. Among these is advanced reporting, which is now more user-friendly and fully integrated with viewing. The nominal/actual comparison module has also been made more user-friendly with easy-to-understand visualization of deviations of scanned objects from their reference data sets.

Volume Graphics and Hexagon
www.volumegraphics.com

Experience a seamless workflow from CT scan to full statistical analysis

November 18, 2020 By Leslie Langnau Leave a Comment

Volume Graphics is extending data export from its non-destructive testing and analysis software based on industrial computed tomography (CT) to the statistics software Q-DAS qs-STAT. This close cooperation between Volume Graphics and Q-DAS, which are now united under the roof of Hexagon, takes automation to the next level: statistical evaluations can now be fully integrated into a CT scan data analysis workflow.

Many users want to statistically analyze the quality data of their scanned components. This is often a basic requirement for automated applications. Q-DAS solutions, such as the Q-DAS qs-STAT package, are considered to be the de-facto standard for statistical analysis. Volume Graphics had already implemented an option for data export to the Q-DAS software in the earlier Release 3.3 of VGSTUDIO MAX. But now, as an integral part of Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence, Volume Graphics and Q-DAS are working on making the data exchange between computed tomography and statistics even tighter.

Volume Graphics software transfers not only the measured values, but also an image of the CT-scanned component (in this case a cast part) into the Q-DAS qs-STAT statistics software package. This enables the dimensions to be clearly linked to the corresponding detail in the report. Visual support makes it easy for users to identify critical processes quickly, as well as weak points and deviations; green bars show time-series of measured values for specific features of the object. Summary graphics like those shown here are an essential tool for the definition of corrective actions needed to optimize a manufacturing process.

The first result of this collaboration is the option to also export 3D representations of components or measured features to Q-DAS software. This option was recently introduced with version 3.4.3 of VGSTUDIO MAX, VGMETROLOGY and VGinLINE. In practice, the user simply marks the relevant box in the export mask. The software then adds the corresponding part image to the data to be exported. Users can make their reports, which they define and access with Q-DAS qs-STAT, even more transparent. They can immediately see which measurement series belongs to which detail (see image).

“Currently, it is possible to export 3D component representations from our coordinate measuring module using measurement data,” says Johannes Knopp, Product Manager Automation & Inline at Volume Graphics. “But progress does not stop there. Our development department is already working on including additional results from the array of gray-value-based material analyses, such as defect analyses, in the export functions. The aim is to realize a seamless, fully automated workflow for all CT quality data.”

Volume Graphics version 3.4 CT-Software includes Scan-to-CAD reverse engineering capabilities

July 9, 2020 By Leslie Langnau Leave a Comment

Digital analysis and physical testing are increasingly integrated with the pursuit of optimized product design and development across a wide swath of industries. With the release of its VGSTUDIO MAX version 3.4 software, Volume Graphics has added and augmented important functions that help designers and manufacturers capture and interrogate product data to improve final quality.

When there’s no 3D CAD model of an object available, VGSTUDIO MAX 3.4’s Reverse Engineering Module provides a suite of capabilities in one automated package. The Module can generate surfaces from a CT scan, or any voxel model converted from a closed mesh/point cloud scan, using an auto-surface function that is fast and accurate. This new function allows manually generated design models to be available digitally—without the need for a CAD designer or reverse-engineering specialist.

The new Reverse Engineering Module in VGSTUDIO MAX 3.4 makes it easy to convert CT scans into CAD models that can be used in any CAD system without the need for a CAD designer or reverse engineering specialist.

An important benefit is the ability to generate and archive 3D CAD models of legacy parts, as well as update those models in which the actual part or tool deviates from the master CAD model. This automates the creation of digital twins of individual parts and allows for validation of the model-to-part relationship. The recreated or newly validated CAD model can be exported as a STEP file to any CAD system. The software also enables CAM systems to mill on CAD instead of meshes.

Compare components or samples over time to detect damage and calculate strains with DVC
Measuring strain and quantifying and visualizing defects in material samples due to external loads are key tasks for materials scientists. The new Digital Volume Correlation (DVC) Module in VGSTUDIO MAX 3.4 helps users to quantify displacements and strains simply and intuitively between multiple states over time. It enables a precise insight into the material at hand, e.g., to detect cracks and to measure the local strain.

Displacement between two datasets acquired during an in-situ test on a fiber-reinforced polymer, as visualized in VGSTUDIO MAX 3.4 software. Data provided by the Institute of Applied Materials at Karlsruhe Institute for Technology (KIT) in Germany.

This is particularly useful for gaining a deeper understanding of foams, fiber composite materials, or additively manufactured (AM, aka 3D-printed) porous samples or components. Voxel-based, three-dimensional volumes are automatically correlated by the software, allowing for before-and-after comparisons of in-situ experiments. Results are visualized in extreme detail, making it easy to pinpoint exactly where defects or damage have occurred.

The user can quantify and visualize problems like cracks and pores, which can be missed by the naked eye, by comparing datasets at different states over time with the initial undamaged data. Results are visualized via color overlay, vector fields or strain lines. The equivalent strain or single components of the strain tensor can be shown as a color overlay and mapped directly on a volume mesh to validate the results of FEA simulations.

VGSTUDIO MAX also allows for mapping microstructure information such as fiber orientation, fiber-volume content, or matrix porosity on the same mesh that is used for the FEA. This allows the user to consider all significant microstructure information within a mechanical model and validate it by comparing FEA and DVC results.

VGSTUDIO MAX 3.4 provides stunning visualizations that show a spatial impression of the displacement field.

DVC is not only helpful in the laboratory—it is also a powerful tool to detect internal damage for maintenance of composite materials, like those in a helicopter blade, by comparing a scan acquired after manufacturing with another scan of the same part after several years of use.

Other enhancements to version 3.4
In addition to the new reverse engineering and volume comparison enhancements, VGSTUDIO MAX 3.4 also includes:

–New visualization options for deviations of geometric tolerances to answer questions such as: Where exactly are the highest deviations located? How are the deviations distributed on a surface? Which areas of the surface were actually evaluated?
–Subvoxel-accurate defect detection with VGEasyPore to differentiate between gas pores and shrinkage cavities.
–Stress tensor export in a .csv file of stress fields calculated using the VGSTUDIO MAX Structural –Mechanics Simulation Module, e.g., for fatigue analysis.
–New, more intuitive Tool Dock that reduces mouse travel needed to navigate.
–Support of 4K displays for a crisper, sharper, and scalable graphical user interface.

Volume Graphics software provides a visual, comprehensive, and easily understandable representation of a part’s geometrical deviations. Depending on the toleranced element, certain methods for visualizing the actual deviations can be activated, e.g., a colored and scaled deviation vector for position tolerances (above), while simultaneously showing entire patterns of position tolerances.

Many of the enhanced capabilities released in this latest version of Volume Graphics’ software have been developed with direct input from customers. The result is a high-performance, automated package of CT-scan data analysis and visualization tools that supports design and development engineers, and manufacturers, in producing the highest-quality, most-competitive products possible.

Volume Graphics
www.volumegraphics.com

Volume Graphics releases new generation of CT Software

July 12, 2019 By Leslie Langnau Leave a Comment

–Volume Graphics announced the latest generation of its software solutions for non-destructive quality assurance with industrial computed tomography (CT): Version 3.3 of VGSTUDIO MAX, VGSTUDIO, VGMETROLOGY, and VGinLINE.

VGSTUDIO MAX software is used for the analysis and visualization of industrial computed tomography (CT) data and covers all requirements related to metrology, defect detection and assessment, material properties, and simulation.

Using the new version, customers can determine the surfaces of multi-material components, export measurement and analysis results to store them centrally in quality-management software, automate inspection processes more flexibly based on text recognition, and translate real CT data into volume meshes for simulation.

To further support their customers, Volume Graphics has also added a Technical Consulting unit that provides professional consulting and evaluation services.

“With version 3.3 of our software solutions, we are once again laying the foundation for customers to make their processes smarter,” says Christof Reinhart, CEO and co-founder of Volume Graphics GmbH.

“For example, using the new data export, metrology data derived with the tremendous measurement capabilities of our software can be seamlessly shared with QA systems, where the values can then be combined and checked over time. More than ever before, this new feature enables customers to better integrate leading-edge CT technology into their existing software landscape. The new export feature is based on the native support of the widely used Q-DAS format, which makes using results in third-party statistical or analysis software especially easy.”

An overview of the innovations in VGSTUDIO MAX 3.3: Multi-material surface determination

–A new mode of the local-adaptive-surface determination enables the simultaneous determination of the surfaces of each material within a volume in one go
–This significantly simplifies the geometric dimensioning and tolerancing of multi-material objects, e.g., the position of metal pins of a connector relative to the plastic housing
–The new mode also facilitates segmentation of multi-material objects

Support of native data export in Q-DAS format

–There is now native support for data export in Q-DAS format for both VGSTUDIO MAX and the VGMETROLOGY metrology solution, as well as the VGinLINE solution for automated CT inspection
–Companies that still work with traditional measurement systems can switch to this comprehensive CT measurement technology without encountering software hurdles or having to forego their established processes for further statistical evaluation
–Export of detailed, CT-based measurement and analysis results (coordinate measurement, nominal/actual comparison, wall thickness analysis, porosity/inclusion analysis, fiber composite material analysis) is now enabled in the common Q-DAS data exchange format

OCR-based automation
–New optical character recognition (OCR) allows customers to read out text in CT scans, such as object identifiers, and store the recognized text in their meta information
–In automated inspection workflows, cavity markers in CT scans of injection molded or cast components can be recognized and the right reference object or the appropriate analysis in VGinLINE jobs can then be selected depending on the respective cavity
–At the same time, the recognized text improves the traceability of the results, since the information about the cavities can be included in the reports

Volume meshing for simulations
–With the new Volume Meshing Module, users can create accurate and high-quality tetrahedral volume meshes from their CT scans for use in mechanical, fluid, thermal, electrical, and other FEM simulations in third party software
–This is based directly on the subvoxel-accurate surface determination for scanned parts or material samples consisting of one or more materials
–The individual components of multi-material objects are translated into volume meshes with congruent tetrahedron faces and shared nodes at material interfaces
–The complete workflow from CT scan to volume mesh is covered
–Generated volume meshes can be exported in common .pat and .inp file formats
–Each cell of the generated volume mesh can be loaded with additional information required for simulation, such as fiber orientations, fiber volume fractions, porosity volume fractions, or gray values

Backed by 20 years’ experience in industrial CT, the new Technical Consulting unit analyzes the specific requirements of each customer’s application(s), creates optimal software configurations and general CT hardware specifications, and offers complete evaluations as a contract service

Volume Graphics
www.volumegraphics.com