Many of the most critical parts that make up industrial gas turbines (IGTs) have complex 5-axis geometries and very tight tolerances. These parts undergo great stresses and extreme temperatures and it’s important that they be within tolerance to yield the expected performance. The first and most obvious reason is so they can all be properly assembled together. However, in this industry higher and higher efficiencies are being demanded. Power plants will only achieve maximum overall efficiency if all critical parts are within their respective tolerances.
Because a number of the features on these parts are so critical to performance, 100% of the parts should be inspected. But how do you inspect, with the required accuracy, such large, heavy and complex parts? In addition, inspection needs to be carried out at production speeds. How can this be achieved to be practical and cost effective?