Austria's Xarion Launches Laser-Induced Acoustic Technology for Non-Contact Composite Inspection

en.Wedoany.com Reported - Xarion Laser Acoustics (Vienna, Austria) has introduced Laser-Excited Acoustics (LEA) technology, which combines laser-generated ultrasound with a patented optical microphone to enable fully automated ultrasonic inspection of composite components without physical contact, coupling agents, or immersion tanks.

In the scaling of composite manufacturing, inspection speed has increasingly become a bottleneck for production efficiency. Traditional ultrasonic inspection relies on gel or water as coupling media, which not only adds processing steps but also complicates automation, and can create throughput bottlenecks when probe setups need to adapt to different component geometries. For moisture-sensitive parts, water-based inspection is not feasible. LEA technology addresses these limitations with a compact, fiber-coupled inspection head that requires no probe changes or coupling agent handling, adapts to varying curvatures, and is easily integrated into robotic systems and collaborative robot cells.

The technology employs an air-coupled, single-sided pulse-echo method capable of identifying defects such as delamination, debonding, cracks, and porosity, and precisely locating them by depth, providing a basis for repair decisions in carbon fiber composites.

Application scenarios cover a range of automation scales. Large robotic systems can inspect helicopter tail booms and other curved aerospace structures in a single continuous scan; compact collaborative robot cells are suitable for smaller, more complex parts such as intake pipes and engine hoods, with quick setup and no need for coupling agent handling. In the inspection of moisture-sensitive components like satellite solar panel substrates, LEA enables comprehensive ultrasonic inspection where water-based methods are prohibited.

The sensor head is available in configurations from 1 to 16 channels. The company positions this technology for aerospace, automotive, and microelectronics applications, with deployment ranging from laboratory validation to fully automated production lines.