Fraunhofer Institute for Nondestructive Testing IZFP 
Product or component quality testing
Nondestructive measurement and inspection systems, which are utilized for quality assurance and product control, are commonly used to analyze products or semifinished products in biological, medical and manufacturing engineering. They are also used in rail, automotive, aerospace and manufacturing applications, as well as for inspecting products in the agriculture, bioengineering, sporting goods and leisure industries.
To date, the complexity of some products has prevented manufacturers from being able to carry out adequate inspection measures. But with advances in sensor technology, microelectronics, automated data recording, rapid signal and image processing /reconstruction and the analysis of complex nondestructive inspection data (often multi-modal based on multiple sensors with different physical measurement principles), manufacturers can now describe these complex components, optimize the quality and improve the engineering reliability. The emergence of new material categories and combinations of materials that are physically difficult to inspect, with a view towards 3D free-form surfaces for instance, is leading to a higher degree of test complexity.
Digitalization is providing new opportunities to automatically extract and classify the relevant characteristics from the measurement signals, then analyze and save the results as metadata and transmit it electronically.
Likewise, new algorithms for three-dimensional reconstruction and visualization, data analysis and signal compression of large data volumes have been developed by porting over methods used in the field of telecommunications. By relying on advanced pattern recognition and artificial intelligence methods, innovative approaches to three-dimensional data recording and data analysis can be developed (machine learning, cognitive machines).
Today's inspection systems are interactive machines that can be embedded into digital industrial environments (robotics, automation technology, data networks, cloud services). In the area of intelligent manual inspection methods, researchers have also developed initial prototypes that feature innovative assistance functions. In this case, the measurement technology is merged with "augmented reality" and "sensor tracking" tools through the use of human-machine interfaces. These new technology platforms developed and validated by Fraunhofer IZFP show the road toward the digital world of tomorrow and state-of-the-art industrial quality assurance.
Keywords
Quality Assurance, 3D Data Recording, 3D Evaluation, Pattern Recognition, Artificial Intelligence, Human-Machine Assistance
