NDT in the Automotive Industry That Improves Manufacturing Quality and Uptime
Drivers typically think of their automobiles as singular cars. However, in terms of manufacturing, they are collections of thousands of carefully engineered and precisely machined parts working together. If the dimensions of one are slightly off, this may result is a hard-to-identify noise in the completed vehicle. If a defect in a critical part slips through quality control, then the results can be a catastrophic failure of a vehicle’s engine, brakes, or other components later on.
Nondestructive testing (NDT) in the automotive industry is used to inspect automotive components after forging, heat treating, and machining to ensure they meet standards. Automotive NDT is also used to inspect the welds that join body panels and components together to ensure they obtained adequate penetration, are free of inclusions, and free of other defects that could compromise the safety or reliability of a vehicle. Zetec offers solutions for NDT in the automotive industry including ultrasonic and eddy current testing technology.
Eddy current testing (ECT) is an ideal option as it features specific capabilities needed to detect discontinuities in automotive components quickly and accurately. Zetec eddy current instruments and probes help to ensure high-quality automotive components while improving manufacturing uptime.
Automotive Industry NDT Applications
There is no room for faulty components in the automotive industry. The slightest flaw could compromise the quality and reliability of the final assembled and finished automobile. Zetec provides the instrumentation, and probes needed for NDT to ensure the following key automotive industry processes are completed to specifications:
Heat Treatment NDT Inspection:
- Shallow case depth
- Short heat
- Misplaced case
- Delayed quench
- Short quench
- Air-cooled
- No heat treatment
Validation of Material Mix:
- Hardness variation
Crack and Flaw Detection:
- Exposed metallic surface
- Hidden metallic near surface
Thread and Feature Verification:
- Partial, incorrect, or damaged threads
- Oversized or undersized threads
- Broken taps
- Incorrect or missing feature
- Missing holes
Assembly Verification:
- Validate presence of external component
- Verify existence of concealed over-molded part
- Component orientation
- Part quantity testing
Product Recommendations for NDT in the Automotive Industry
In order to help you determine the right equipment for your automotive industry NDT needs, we’ve compiled a listing of Zetec instruments for the most common applications of NDT in the automotive industry. If you need a solution for a testing application that isn’t listed contact our team of experts, and we’ll happily help you find the equipment you need.
Click here to skip to a specific application category:
Heat Treatment Inspections | Material Mix | Crack and Flaw Detection | Thread and Feature Verification | Assembly Verification
Application |
NDT Technology |
Product Recommendation(s) |
Heat Treatment Inspections |
||
| Shallow case depth | Eddy Current | Insite HT & CT Instruments |
| Short Heat | Eddy Current | Insite HT & CT Instruments |
| Misplaced case | Eddy Current | Insite HT & CT Instruments |
| Delayed quench | Eddy Current | Insite HT & CT Instruments |
| Short quench | Eddy Current | Insite HT & CT Instruments |
| Air cooled | Eddy Current | Insite HT & CT Instruments |
| No heat treatment | Eddy Current | Insite HT & CT Instruments |
Material Mix |
||
| Hardness Variation | Eddy Current | Insite HT & CT Instruments |
Crack and Flaw Detection |
||
| Exposed metallic surface | Eddy Current | Insite HT & CT Instruments MIZ-200 High-Performance eddy current instrument |
| Hidden metallic near surface | Eddy Current | Insite HT & CT Instruments MIZ-200 High-Performance eddy current instrument |
Thread and Feature Verification |
||
| Partial, incorrect, or damaged threads | Eddy Current | Insite HT & CT Instruments |
| Oversized or undersized threads | Eddy Current | Insite HT & CT Instruments |
| Broken taps | Eddy Current | Insite HT & CT Instruments |
| Incorrect or missing feature | Eddy Current | Insite HT & CT Instruments |
| Missing holes | Eddy Current | Insite HT & CT Instruments |
Assembly Verification |
||
| Validate presence of external component | Eddy Current | Insite HT & CT Instruments |
| Verify existence of concealed over molded part | Eddy Current | Insite HT & CT Instruments |
| Component orientation | Eddy Current | Insite HT & CT Instruments |
| Part quantity testing | Eddy Current | Insite HT & CT Instruments |
Quality control in the automotive industry depends on NDT to ensure that automotive components meet the required standards for the industry. In order to enjoy the benefits of effective testing, automotive manufacturers should pair testing applications with the correct NDT solution. Zetec helps provide a complete suite of NDT testing solutions for the automotive industry.
Searching for effective NDT for the automotive industry or other manufacturing? Contact us to learn more.