OCT supports industrial nondestructive depth analysis

The Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology, Aachen, Germany, investigated the properties of a three-layer 2.3 mm thick plastic part, consisting of a high-density polyethylene material and a thin 100 μm layer of ethyl vinyl alcohol (EVOH) as a diffusion barrier, to explore resource-saving manufacturing methods in the plastics industry. The objective of the project was development of an Interferometric Inline Control System in the Production of Multi-layer Plastic Foils. Besides achieving significantly higher process security, the Fraunhofer researchers found that that the OCT-enabled control technique should save material supplies amounting to €100,000, even when deployed in a medium-capacity production facility. It was also highlighted that system designers can implement OCT as a meaningful and detailed analysis tool for nondestructive testing and monitoring of hidden structures to increase quality, throughput, and yield in manufacturing processes.