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Computed tomography scanning offers molders a wide range of benefits, often saving them hundreds of hours during the processes of mold building, mold tryout, and first- article approval. Here's what you need to know. How CT Scanning Can Cut Your Product-Development Time One of the biggest challenges molders face is getting parts through first-article inspection (FAI) and into production. Delays in mold verification and performance qualifi- cation while waiting for first-article approval often hold up the assembly, delivery, and sale of finished products—a major reason to verify molds and molding processes as quickly as possible. Computed tomog- raphy (CT) x-ray scanning can be an invaluable tool for molders to get parts approved for production quickly, troubleshoot pro- duction problems faster, and eliminate guesswork. The first part out of a mold is the critical test of the process and the mold itself. FAI is a process of carefully measuring the test part for conformance, in both shape and size, to the original CAD model. This process can involve multiple pieces of measurement equip- ment, including CMMs and vision systems, and take dozens, even hundreds, of hours when checking the geometry of multi-cavity molds. The entire process of developing satisfactory molds and processes can take weeks or months and strain resources. When simple parts require just a few measurements to be made, CT scanning may not be necessary. But more complex parts have a lot more features to be measured, and this is where CT x-ray scanning really pays off. The more complex the part, the more time CT will save. FAI using CT looks at all prior setups of both critical and non-critical dimensions without adding inspection time. Imagine performing first-article inspection of a complex part requiring more than 1500 features to be measured and doing it in less than an hour. Modern CT scanning equipment can potentially replace multiple inspection systems and even reduce total equipment By Barry Rogers, Alpha Strategies Plastic of almost any sort is an ideal material to image with x-rays. WHAT YOU WILL LEARN 1. CUT PRODUCTION DELAYS: Slash FAI times to get parts into production faster. 2. COMPLEX PARTS: The more complicated the part, the more time CT scanning saves. 3. OVERLAP DATA: Molders can overlap scan data with that of the original CAD model. 4. FAILURE ANALYSIS: See how assemblies fit. 5. FDA COMPLIANCE: Capture a "part thumbprint." The CT data display using Zeiss NEO insights software shows whether the seal is properly positioned on the bottle. 58 SEPTEMBER 2017 Plastics Technology PTonline.com Tips and Techniques