A method of fabricating a reference blade for calibrating non-destructive inspection by tomography of real blades of similar shapes and dimensions, including making a three-dimensional blank out of resin, creating housings in the thickness of the blank at predetermined locations, and introducing in each of the housings a cylinder including an artificial defect or a real defect in order to obtain the reference blade.

A sizing apparatus has input and output ends and a sampling window therebetween. Sizing means determines the size of each item passing through the sampling window. Singulating means arranges the items in a line and delivers them sequentially at the input end of the sizing apparatus. A lower conveyor belt extends through the sizing apparatus from the input end through the sampling window to the output end. The lower conveyor belt is translated at a speed sufficient to receive, transport, and maintain the items in sequential fashion. A flexible upper stabilizer belt is arranged above and generally in alignment with the lower conveyor belt, and is driven to match the speed of the lower conveyor belt. The upper stabilizer belt is suspended so as to engage the items incoming from said singulating means and to maintain loose contact with them until the items have passed through the sampling window.

There is described a method for inspecting a structure across a cover layer covering the structure. The method generally has emitting a high energy photon beam along a photon path extending across said cover layer and leading to a target point within said structure, resulting in scattering along at least first and second scatter paths originating from said target point and extending across said cover layer and away therefrom, said first and second scatter paths forming a respective angle relative to said cover layer and defining an inspection plane comprising at least the target point; simultaneously detecting a first scatter signal incoming from said first scatter path and detecting a second scatter signal incoming from said second scatter path, and generating first and second values indicative therefrom; comparing said first and second values to one another; and inspecting said structure based on said comparing.

A method for detecting discrepancies in an item is provided. The method comprises: directing energy waves at the item along at least one dimension, wherein a portion of the energy waves are reflected back from the item; detecting reflected energy waves from the item along at least one dimension and recording the intensity of the detected reflected energy waves, and forming a one-dimensional image of the item from the detected reflected energy waves.

Aspects of the disclosure are directed to an analysis of a material of a component. A radiation source is activated to transmit radiation to the component. A beam pattern is obtained based on the component interfering with the radiation. The beam pattern is compared to a reference beam pattern. An anomaly is detected to exist in the material when the comparison indicates a deviation between the beam pattern and the reference beam pattern.

Various embodiments for generating a defect sample for electron beam review are provided. One method includes combining, on a defect-by-defect basis, one or more first attributes for defects determined by optical inspection of a wafer on which the defects were detected with one or more second attributes for the defects determined by optical review of the wafer thereby generating combined attributes for the defects. The method also includes separating the defects into bins based on the combined attributes for the defects. The bins correspond to different defect classifications. In addition, the method includes sampling one or more of the defects for the electron beam review based on the bins into which the defects have been separated thereby generating a defect review sample for the electron beam review.

In one embodiment, an automated high-speed X-ray inspection system may identify reference objects for an object of interest to be inspected. Each reference object may have a same type and components as the object of interest. The system may generate a reference model for the object of interest based on X-ray images of the reference objects. The system may determine whether the object of interest is associated with one or more defects by comparing an X-ray image of the object of interest to the reference model. The defects may be characterized by one or more pre-determined defect models and may be classified into respective defect categories based on the pre-determined defect models.

Described is a computer-implemented method for monitoring the status of a device for investigating objects, wherein the investigation of an object involves determining measurement data by measuring the object and operating data of the device is determined during the investigation of the object. The method includes: determining measurement data of the object by means of the device; determining operating data of the device during the determining measurement data of the object; determining at least one quality parameter from the measurement data; analysing the operating data and the at least one quality parameter; and determining a status characteristic value based on the analysing in order to monitor the status of the device, wherein the status characteristic value indicates a status of the device. The computer-implemented method comparatively easily monitors the functionality of devices for investigating objects during adaptive measurements.

A method is disclosed for providing a component. During this method, braze powder is deposited with a substrate. The braze powder is sintered together during the depositing of the braze powder to provide the substrate with sintered braze material. The sintered braze material is heated to melt the sintered braze material and to diffusion bond the sintered braze material to the substrate to provide braze filler material. A first object is scanned using computed tomography to provide first object scan data. The first object includes the substrate and the braze filler material diffusion bonded to the substrate. The first object scan data is compared to first object reference data to provide machining data. The first object is machined using the machining data to provide a second object.

A method of calculating an indicator of a thin wire according to the present disclosure includes: obtaining X-ray images of a plurality of cross sections of a cable having a plurality of thin wires, the plurality of cross sections being perpendicular to a long-side direction of the cable; finding a central position of each of the plurality of thin wires from each of the X-ray images of the plurality of cross sections; and finding an indicator representing a curve of each thin wire based on the central position of the thin wire.