Automated radioscopic testing of aluminum die castings

Castings produced for the automotive industry are considered important components for overall roadworthiness. To ensure the safety of construction, it is necessary to check every part thoroughly using nondestructive testing (NDT). Radioscopy rapidly became the accepted way for controlling the quality of die cast pieces. In this paper, the fundamental principles of the automated detection of casting discontinuities are explained. A general automated testing schema is presented and several techniques that have appeared in the literature in the past 20 years are explained, showing the development of this sector in the areas of industry and academia. Finally, advances in the simulation of discontinuities, used for assessing the performance of a test technique, are outlined.