{"id":4261,"date":"2024-02-28T09:34:52","date_gmt":"2024-02-28T08:34:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cactux.cz\/?p=4261"},"modified":"2026-03-05T15:26:31","modified_gmt":"2026-03-05T14:26:31","slug":"x-ray-ct-for-quality-control-in-plastic-manufacturing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cactux.cz\/cs\/x-ray-ct-for-quality-control-in-plastic-manufacturing\/","title":{"rendered":"Precision insights: X-ray CT for quality control in plastics manufacturig"},"content":{"rendered":"

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” min_height=”2420px” custom_margin=”11px|||||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row column_structure=”2_5,3_5″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” min_height=”262px” custom_padding=”||0px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”2_5″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/cactux.cz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/3D-CT-porosity.png” alt=”3D X-ray CT model of a plastic part showing highlighted internal porosity” title_text=”3D-CT-porosity” align=”center” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” width=”100%” custom_margin=”-12px||||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”3_5″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” header_text_align=”left” header_text_color=”#191919″ header_2_text_align=”left” header_2_text_color=”#191919″ header_3_text_align=”left” header_3_text_color=”#191919″ header_4_text_align=”left” header_4_font_size=”23px” min_height=”226px” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n

The Role of Plastics in Modern Manufacturing<\/h2>\n

Plastics play a significant role in our daily lives. Due to their versatility<\/strong>, lightweight nature<\/strong>, and adaptability<\/strong>, they are useful for a wide range of applications \u2013 from packaging materials, transportation, and construction to consumer goods.\u00a0 The production of plastics increased exponentially from 1.5 million tonnes in the 1950s to over 350 million tonnes in 2018. [1] Apart from the commodity plastics contributing to 80% of the total plastic consumption worldwide, technical plastics have emerged as a vital material in the industry sector, due to their strength<\/strong>, toughness<\/strong>, stiffness<\/strong>, and good resistance to heat and chemicals<\/strong>. [2]\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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The overall advantage lies in the ability of plastic materials to be molded into diverse forms. The speed of the molding process enables manufacturing high volumes of the same part \u2013 mass production. However, the whole process needs to be verified regularly to maintain the desired product characteristics, especially concerning the geometry, mold shape, or the durability and quality of the material itself to prevent expensive late correction or complaints.<\/span><\/p>\n

Traditional Quality Control Methods\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

Several systems and technologies can be employed for quality control. Mechanical testing<\/strong> involves subjecting plastic samples to stress, strain, and impact assessments to evaluate their performance under different conditions. 3D optical scanning systems<\/strong>, usually based on visible light or laser scanning, are employed to analyze the surface quality of products and can produce 3D models of the object. For metrology validations<\/strong>, usually coordinate measuring machines (CMM) are used, based on mechanical touch probes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

However, these traditional testing methods have some serious drawbacks \u2013 they are destructive<\/strong>, require pre-processing<\/strong> of the surfaces or whole parts \u2013\u00a0 painting, spraying, disassembly, etc, and focus on one specific aspect of quality control.<\/span><\/p>\n

X-ray CT in Plastics Manufacturing<\/span><\/h2>\n

X-ray computed tomography (CT)<\/strong> provides several additional huge advantages over these classical methods:<\/span><\/p>\n