Software Empowers Inspection with Holistic Analysis and Visualization of Scan Data
Volume Graphics 2024.1 helps users collaborate and evaluate product quality from CT and other non-destructive testing technologies.
Posted: May 17, 2024
The widespread digitation of manufacturing is enabling companies to make products faster. As a result, the physical inspection of finished goods, based on CT and other industrial product-scanning technologies, has taken on even more importance. As the digital product-development pathway has become increasingly sophisticated, ease-of-use of the accompanying scan-data-based, quality-assurance software is key to its successful application in aerospace, automotive, electronic, medical, and other industries.
The newest release of Volume Graphics’ advanced non-destructive evaluation software suite responds to this ease-of-use need. With enhanced data-interpretation, collaboration and presentation capabilities, the software enables users to more easily refine, integrate and share their product-manufacturing-quality results and initiatives.
The underlying architecture of the suite (which includes VGSTUDIO MAX, VGSTUDIO, VGMETROLOGY, VGinLINE, and myVGL) harnesses sophisticated algorithms developed over decades, incorporates greater automation, and now includes customized, deep-learning tools. The latest updates enable even the non-expert user to quickly and effectively apply these powerful resources to quality evaluation throughout the product lifecycle—and collaborate with the experts in a common language.
Here are some of the highlights of the latest release:
- Interactive Reports and PNG format for easier sharing
Sharing scan data results and reports is a vital part of moving a manufacturing organization forward on the journey towards optimal product quality. Reporting needs to flow from engineers to managers—who may not have run any analyses themselves but want to understand when and/or where a particular pore or crack occurred, and why an accept or reject call was made or a design change implemented. New in 2024.1 is a highly intuitive HTML report functionality [see Image 1] that supports 3D interactive part or result views. Self-contained documents are now easily accessible with any Chromium-based browser like Edge or Chrome, so that analyses can be interactively viewed at any stage of the quality-assurance process.
Along with this, a new PNG export functionality [see Image 2] requested by users is available. When using PNG as a storage or data-exchange format, all images produced by Volume Graphics analyses can now be copied and pasted directly into almost any kind of media, without the need for additional file conversions. This change provides for much more powerful visualizations, reports and presentations—and a faster workflow for importing or exporting volume data.
- Linear sizes for metrology
Linear functionality is valuable for users concerned with geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T). The common abbreviations used to indicate linear sizes are now visually represented directly within report graphics [see image 3]. This simplifies standard conform measurements by providing direct support for modifier symbols—and empowers easier evaluations for many size features such as two-point measurements (LP), envelope requirement (E), and global modifier symbols like (GG).
- PIA Updates – of particular interest to the casting industry
Updates in Volume Graphics’ porosity inclusion analysis (PIA) capabilities make it even easier for casters to meet industry-compliance requirements P 202 and P 203. Multiple regions of interest can be evaluated to determine whether they are in tolerance, or not—with instant, color-coded viewing of tolerance states [see Image 4].
A complete listing of all updates of Volume Graphics 2024.1 is available here.