LASER-EXCITED ACOUSTICS (LEA)
Automated ultrasonic inspection without a coupling medium (water, gel)
XARION'S compact, laser-based ultrasonic technology enables fully non-contact inspection without liquid coupling media. It is already used today for automated quality inspection in production facilities and at the same time opens up new possibilities for mobile, cobot-assisted MRO applications.
The technology is particularly well suited for moisture-sensitive components and complex geometries that are difficult to access using conventional water-coupled ultrasonic testing methods. The contactless ultrasound sensor is available as a single-channel receiver as well as in 8- and 16-channel array configurations. This makes laser-excited acoustic (LEA) testing an ideal solution for inspection tasks requiring short cycle times and high throughput, key requirements in the aerospace industry. Typical aerospace applications include the inspection of honeycomb sandwich structures with limited accessibility, acoustic panels in engine nacelles, moisture-sensitive components made of ceramic matrix composites (CMC) or components for deployment in space, as well as structures with tight radii like stringers or inlet ducts.
FILL integrates XARION’s inspection technology into robotic cells and inline systems at the highest level and has already implemented reference projects in aerospace production. Thanks to its compatibility with FILL’s Flexchange, the inspection technology can be easily integrated into FILL systems.
Watch a video of XARION's Laser-Excited Acoustics for helicopter tailboom inspection.
The concept
In the LEA process (Laser-Excited Acoustics), ultrasound is generated directly inside the component using a laser. Excitation works contact-free and non-destructive at the surface. The ultrasonic response is detected in air using XARION’s Optical Microphone. A bandwidth of 4 MHz can be achieved within a single measurement. Liquid coupling media such as water or gel are not required.
The setup enables both double-sided inspection in transmission mode and single-sided inspection in pulse-echo mode. The inspection heads are compact, glass fiber-coupled, and easy to integrate with robotic arms.
The system is designed to be eye-safe in accordance with laser class 1 and does not require laser enclosures. This also makes it easy to integrate the technology into existing inspection systems or retrofit installed equipment.
Measurement data is processed in the LEAstudio software, evaluated on the basis of A-, B-, and C-scans, and seamlessly transferred into downstream process chains.
Features
- Fully non-contact: ultrasonic inspection without gel, water, or direct contact with the test object
- Reliable detection of delaminations, disbonds, porosity, and cracks
- Easy integration into automated robotic inspection cells and inline systems
- Compact sensor size, available with 1 to 16 channels
- Versatile application: proven in aerospace, automotive, and microelectronics
Specifications
Inspection configurations
Transmission, Pulse-Echo, Guided Wave
Detection
Eta600 Ultra Optical microphone, 4 MHz bandwidth, available as 1-, 8-, or 16-channel array
Excitation laser
eye-safe, laser class 1
Data acquisition
16-bit resolution, 80 MS/s
Technical specifications subject to change.
Components
Contact request
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