Emission Control – catalytic converters: x-ray inspection for quality and process control
08 December 2020
Because the materials needed to make a catalytic converter are very expensive, manufacturers need a precise way to analyses, optimise and check the quality of the core substrate’s multiple wash coat. They also need to be able to monitor any real-time changes or trends as they develop in their manufacturing process. This gives them the tools to control and optimise their usage of high-price materials and thus minimise any waste.
We have designed a non-destructive x-ray analysis system, including hardware and a suite of software tools, specifically for this purpose. It provides precise control over the exacting manufacture of catalytic converters and diesel particulate filters.
Rapid feedback from the system is fed back into the manufacturing processes as well as providing analysis, data tracking and record recovery. Images can be observed visually and/or used for automatic analysis.
The system can both ‘see’ and analyse sub-millimetre details inside the converters and measure substrate coatings and numerous wash coats to identify artefacts and defects (distributions, overlaps and voids). This is done in real time providing 100% inspection at full production line speed.