There isn’t much more reassuring on a high-reliability product than to have a final X-ray inspection of the product to verify that all the parts are where they should be. Confirming orientation of a needle, the right number of coils on a spring, or the proper amount of fill in a vial are all crucial.

There are many layers to battery inspection. Depending on the battery type, resolving the layers themselves can be critical. The anode and cathode connections presence and alignment not only show pass/fail but also are signs of counterfeits.

3D printing, or additive manufacturing, is still progressing strongly. Seeing the internal structure, porosity, and other defects is a huge advantage towards making strong designs.

Critical castings should be inspected for weak spots due to porosity as well as shrinkage and hot tears.

Computed Tomography, or CT, is valuable tool for inspecting products in full 3D. The product is spun a full 360 degrees while hundreds or thousands of X-ray images are acquired. Powerful software then reconstructs a model that can be spun, sliced, and even printed with additive manufacturing.