Quick introduction: Foundry

Non-destructive testing of castings

Non-destructive testing methods can make an important contribution to quickly obtaining a reliable statement about the quality of cast products. Quality defects can thus be detected at an early stage and countermeasures can be initiated quickly. Ultrasonic methods are particularly well suited for reliably detecting defects such as blowholes or cracks in cast parts. They can also be easily integrated into existing inline inspection systems. Fraunhofer IKTS has many years of experience in the field of ultrasonic testing at its disposal. As a developer of customized industrial ultrasonic testing systems, Fraunhofer IKTS offers sensors, test electronics, software, simulation and modeling services as well as an accredited testing center for the validation and verification of ultrasonic methods.

An important aspect, especially for the production of individual components, is the characterization of the cast part with regard to the resulting properties. Micro-magnetic test methods such as Barkhausen noise can provide information on the martensite and cementite content, but also on changes in grain size and thus hardness. The Fraunhofer IKTS has many years of experience in material testing itself and in equipment development. For the rapid characterization of castings, IKTS has developed a compact and robust testing device in which the measured data is recorded non-destructively within a few seconds per measuring point.