Nel Pretech Corporation

10/14/2026

The outside looks fine. The dimensions check out. So why is the molded part failing?

Sometimes, the clue is hiding inside.

Industrial CT lets engineers inspect internal features without cutting the part open, but there’s more to the process than spotting a bubble in a scan.

A void’s size and location matter. So does whether it’s fully enclosed or connected to the surface. And if you need measurements, the scan has to provide enough detail to support the analysis.

Dave Nelson breaks down what to look for when investigating internal voids in injection-molded parts.

👉️ Read the article: https://www.nelpretech.com/blog/internal-voids-in-injection-molded-parts

Your turn: Would you investigate the molding process first, or get a look inside the part before deciding where to start?

10/08/2026

📐 Ever had a dimension on a drawing that looked completely straightforward...
..until you tried to measure it?

A deep hole.

A hidden internal channel.

An undercut.

A feature buried inside the part.

The CMM may have plenty of accuracy. The problem is that the probe can't physically get where it needs to go.

That's one of the reasons industrial CT can be so useful. Instead of bringing a probe to the feature, CT lets you inspect geometry that's hidden inside the part—without cutting it open.

It isn't really a question of CMM vs. CT.

It's a question of:

What does the part need you to measure?

We take a closer look at the problem—and when CT can help—in our latest article:

Why Can't My CMM Measure Every Critical Dimension?
🔗 https://www.nelpretech.com/blog/why-cant-my-cmm-measure-every-critical-dimension

What’s the most difficult feature you've ever had to measure?

Why can't a CMM measure every critical dimension? See how probe access, deep bores, and internal cavities limit CMM inspection, and when industrial CT scanning helps. - NEL Pretech

09/30/2026

What's happening inside a medical device when the flow isn't what it should be?

Sometimes the problem is a restriction, an off-center bore, an internal obstruction, a thin wall, or two passages that don't quite line up.

The challenge is finding it without destroying the device.

Industrial CT can reveal these hidden features in 3D while the device remains assembled, letting engineers investigate the geometry behind unexpected flow, pressure, or leakage results.

And there's an important caveat: CT doesn't measure flow rate or prove a leak. Those still require appropriate functional testing. CT helps investigate the physical geometry that may be causing the result.

See what CT can reveal inside catheters, Luer assemblies, manifolds, pumps, inhalers, syringes, and other medical devices.

Read the full article on the Nel PreTech blog.
https://www.nelpretech.com/blog/how-do-you-inspect-medical-device-fluid-paths-without-cutting-them-open

09/24/2026

What’s Carter doing in there? 👀

No, we’re not fixing a spaceship.

Carter, one of Nel PreTech’s CT specialists, is replacing the filament in our industrial CT scanner as part of routine maintenance.

It’s one of those behind-the-scenes jobs that customers may never see—but it helps keep the system performing reliably and producing the high-quality images and inspection data our engineers depend on.

Because when you’re looking inside a part, the equipment doing the looking matters.

09/22/2026

A prefilled syringe can have alignment, positioning, or interface problems that aren't obvious from the outside.

And once you take the syringe apart, you may change the exact relationships you're trying to inspect.

Industrial CT can capture those relationships while the assembly is intact.

For ISO 11040 work, that can mean measuring things like:

🔎 Needle alignment
🔎 Stopper position
🔎 Internal bore geometry
🔎 Component spacing
🔎 Wall thickness
🔎 Hidden interfaces

But CT isn't just about producing a good-looking image. Reliable dimensional inspection depends on the measurement method, surface determination, datums, tolerances, and uncertainty.

The new ISO 11040-8:2026 makes this an especially timely topic for finished prefilled syringes.

See how CT fits into the dimensional inspection process: https://www.nelpretech.com/blog/ct-scanning-iso-11040-prefilled-syringe-dimensional-inspection

09/16/2026

WILD WEDNESDAY: Why all those dimples? ⛳

Because when you're chasing performance, even the outside geometry matters.

But the dimples aren't the whole story.

CT scanning lets engineers look at the geometry on the outside while also seeing differences in material density and internal construction—all without cutting the product open.

These two golf balls are a great example. Different internal structures. Different material regions. One even shows damage extending beneath the surface.

For sporting-goods manufacturers, those details can matter when you're engineering for:

🏌️ Distance
🎯 Spin & control
🚀 Launch
💥 Impact performance
🛡️ Durability

Better performance starts with understanding what you're actually building.

If you could CT scan one piece of sporting equipment, what would you choose?

09/15/2026

An internal passage could be too small.

A wall could be too thin.

A hidden feature could be out of position.

Those problems are much easier to address during first article inspection than after production is underway.

Industrial CT scanning lets engineers see both the inside and outside of a molded part, without cutting it apart.

That means one first article can reveal:

🔹 Internal geometry
🔹 Wall thickness
🔹 Hidden features
🔹 Mating interfaces
🔹 Dimensional differences from CAD
🔹 GD&T-related issues

The point isn't that CT replaces CMM.

It's that the right inspection method can reveal issues before they become expensive production problems.

How much could your next tooling iteration benefit from seeing what you can't see?

👉️ Read the full article: https://www.nelpretech.com/blog/first-article-inspection-medical-devices-ct-scanning

See how CT scanning improves first article inspection for medical devices. Verify internal features, wall thickness, and GD&T before production begins. - NEL Pretech

09/09/2026

How do you recreate something that was made long before anyone had a CAD file?

Sometimes, the original drawing is gone. The part may be decades old. And yet someone still needs an accurate digital model.

That’s where 3D scanning and reverse engineering can change the game.

We recently scanned this intricate historical light-pole component. We turned its physical geometry into a detailed digital model—capturing the flutes, profiles, decorative details, and transitions that would be difficult to reproduce accurately by hand.

The interesting part isn't just scanning the part. It's turning what physically exists into usable engineering data.

What would you reverse engineer if you had the original part—but no drawings?

09/02/2026

A watch looks pretty simple from the outside.

Inside? Not so much.

This Wild Wednesday CT scan gives us a look at the internal structure of a Timex watch—but the real story isn't the watch.

It's what industrial CT allows engineers to do with the data.

Once a CT scan is reconstructed, we can analyze internal and external geometry, measure features, compare the part to CAD, evaluate wall thickness, investigate defects, and examine how components fit together—all without cutting the part open.

At Nel PreTech, we use advanced analysis tools to turn CT data into useful engineering information.

The same technology we used to look inside this watch can help engineers investigate medical devices, batteries, electronics, aerospace components, castings, and much more.

Sometimes seeing what's inside is only the first step.

What would you want to see if you could virtually cut your part open?

Read More: https://www.nelpretech.com/blog/industrial-ct-data-analysis-engineering-inspection

08/27/2026

❓️ How do you know you're looking at a real feature in a part versus an artifact introduced during imaging ❓️

This is a good example of why getting a CT scan isn't simply a matter of putting a part in the machine and pressing scan.

The X-ray beam interacts with the material as it passes through the part. Depending on the material, thickness, density, and scan parameters, those interactions can introduce artifacts that affect what we're actually seeing in the data.

So, what do you see first in this CT image? 👇️