Advanced CT & Blue-Light Scanning for Small Turbine Blades, Airfoils & Impellers

At Nel PreTech Corporation, we recognize that precision matters, from microscopic deviations in turbine blades to the aerodynamic integrity of impellers and airfoil-shaped components. Traditional tactile measurements often fall short in speed, detail, and coverage. That’s why our engineers leverage CT (computed tomography) and blue light 3D scanning for turbine blade inspection, delivering high‑resolution, non‑destructive, full-field data that empowers design validation, quality assurance, and reverse engineering.

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Turbine Blade Inspection Using CT or Blue Light Scanning

Causes of turbine blade decreased performance or failure:

• High temperatures
• Strain levels 
• Number of cycles 
• Stress concentrations 
• Intense vibration 
• Casting defects

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The introduction of better materials and new processing methods helps mitigate some of these problems. Now, with industrial CT scanning and structured blue-light scanning, modern impeller blades can be inspected with improved speed and accuracy. Small turbine blades, airfoil-shaped components, and impellers require precise inspection to operate effectively under volatile conditions. The blades have intricate geometries and tight tolerances. Traditional, contact-based metrology tools are inappropriate for inspection work of this nature.

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How CT Scanning & Blue Light Scanning Work

CT scanning:

Works by capturing a series of X-ray images of the airfoil blades from multiple angles. 2D projections are reconstructed using advanced algorithms to create a complete 3D volume of the part. Unlike surface-based methods, industrial CT scanning can reveal internal structures, voids, cracks, and material density variations without cutting or damaging the blades. It can also be used as a reliable metrology tool. It is ideal for comprehensive inspection of airfoil blades, where both external geometry and internal integrity are critical to performance and safety.

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Blue light scanning: 

This structured-light technology works by projecting a fringe pattern of blue light onto the surface of the blade or other component. As the light pattern deforms over the part’s geometry, high-resolution cameras capture the distortion from multiple angles. These images are used to triangulate millions of data points. The result is a highly detailed, 3D representation of the surface. Blue light has a shorter wavelength compared to white light. It reduces ambient light interference, resulting in sharper, more accurate scans. Blue light scanning is useful for capturing fine features and tight tolerances on airfoils.

Nel PreTech employs both of these cutting-edge technologies under an ISO/IEC 17025-accredited system. We use specialized software to: 

• Align data with CAD
• Generate full-dimensional reports
• Create colormaps
• Analyze turbine, airfoil, or aerospace-specific features

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Why It’s Effective for Small Airfoil & Impeller Geometries

Whether it’s fan blades, blisks, compressor blades, turbine blades, airfoil-shaped components, or impellers that need inspection, these 3D technologies reveal invaluable, comprehensive part information. They offer full traceability and peace of mind for research and development, quality, and production teams. 

• Measure thin trailing/leading edges with micron-level accuracy
• Sharp corners and angled surfaces captured with ease
• Iterate design without starting from scratch

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Capture full-field geometry:

• Impeller CAD
• Axial Chord Distance
• Camber Line Curve Length
• Centroid
• Leading Edge Thickness
• Max Profile Thickness
• Profile & Form
• Trailing Edge Thickness

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Comparisons: Laser, CT, and Blue Light Scanning

• Laser Scanning: can struggle with narrow gaps, occlusions, reflective surfaces, and blade adjacency
• Industrial CT Scanning: can capture internal features
• Blue‑light Scanning: excels in non-contact, high-speed, high-resolution applications

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Benefits & Value for Design Validation and Quality Assurance

1. Enhanced precision: reduce deviation risk, enable close CAD tolerance checks
2. Faster turnaround and throughput: less than half the time of traditional CMM
3. Non‑destructive inspection (NDI): no disassembly or damage to blades, and reduced waste benefits
4. Traceable digital records: full point‑cloud datasets for reverse engineering, repair planning, and regulatory compliance
5. Supports advanced workflows: reverse engineering, generative AI defect detection, and repair simulation

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Use Cases & Applications of CT & Blue Light Scanning

Blue light and 3D scanning are ideal for inspecting small, high-precision parts like turbine blades, compressor stators, blisks, impellers, and airfoil-shaped vanes. Advanced scanning is also used in reverse engineering legacy components without CAD.

Typical applications may include:

• Aerospace engines
• Turbochargers
• Medical pumps
• Microturbines: industrial and marine
• Specialized drone components

These components often operate in high-speed, high-heat environments where even minor dimensional deviations can impact performance. Accurate inspection is critical for manufacturers in the aerospace, defense, energy, and medical device industries.

Future Trends & Innovations

As AI continues to dominate, integration into anomaly detection and automated workflows will be the catalyst for innovation. Predictive maintenance will also be woven into future trends by combining scan data with trend analysis to anticipate wear or corrosion.

Why Choose Nel PreTech Corporation

Nel PreTech’s expertise in rapid 3D scanning, reverse engineering, and CAD compliance is a no-brainer if you want the best in inspection and metrology services. With over 30 years of experience, thousands of scans in our portfolio, and in-house testing beyond what our accreditation calls for, you can have confidence in the data we provide. Our turn-key services include full inspection reports aligned with engineering tolerances, access to our experts throughout the project, and digital data that lives on forever.

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Contact Nel PreTech for dimensional inspection, QA, or design validation using blue-light 3D scanning and CT scanning.

Learn more about CT scanning with our CT Scanning for the Intelligent Engineer eBook download.