YXLON International, worldwide leading producer of X-ray and CT systems for industrial applications and Renault Sport Formula One™ Team announce the successful start of their technical partnership. YXLON has provided its proven Y.MU2000-D X-ray system as a premium version which includes the Variofocus X-ray tube, High-Dynamic Radioscopy (HDR) as well as computed tomography (CT). Renault Sport Formula One™ Team can now conduct most of their inspection tasks for quality assurance and R&D with this universal X-ray inspection system, thus optimizing their testing processes.

To celebrate the official start of the Partnership, a selected group of NDT users were invited by the UK YXLON Agents, Aegleteq Ltd, to visit Renault Sport Formula OneTM Team’s Enstone Technical Centre, Oxfordshire for a tour of facilities. At the same time the newly installed MU2000-D 225 DR Inspection System with CT, was showcased. Guests were also taken to have a behind the scenes insight into one of the rare F1 ‘on track’ test sessions with Renault Sport Formula One™ Team in the pits at the Silverstone Racetrack. All guests enthusiastically agreed about how interesting the whole day was,with special thanks to Luca Mazzocco and Adrian Talbot from Renault Sport Formula One Team for hosting the event.

Some quotes from the event: “It was a fabulous day”, Stuart Price from NDT Maincal put it in one sentence. And Tom Wilson from Dyson Diecastings in Milton Keynes added: “It was a fantastic day. Very informative about X-ray and CT and the NDT challenges of Renault Sport Formula OneTM Team and its manufacturing processes. It was really interesting to see the X-ray system. Visiting Renault Sport Formula OneTM Team during its test session programme in the afternoon was a highlight.” Dr Nick Brierley, Senior Research Engineer at Manufacturing Technology Centre in Coventry said. “It was a great introduction into how Formula 1 works. We learned a lot about the manufacturing challenges Renault Sport Formula OneTM Team is facing.” Neil Smith from Grainger & Worrall Ltd, Motorsport Division stated that “As a User of YXLON CT Systems for engine parts, it was very interesting to understand the challenges of manufacturing a complete race car.”

Based on the technical partnership, the X-ray inspection room at Renault Sport Formula One™ Team Technical Centre is available for visitors who would like to learn more about the benefits of 2D and 3D X-ray inspection in the automotive field.

The Y.MU2000-D expands the equipment of Renault Sport Formula One™ NDT (non-destructive testing) department, which is often active 24/7. The Team is expecting tremendous benefits by using the system and they will now take full advantage of its capabilities in quality assurance and R/D answering the high inspection demands in the preparation phase and during the racing season.
Adrian Talbot, technical supervisor of the NDT department, explains the objectives Renault Sport Formula One TeamTM aims to achieve with their new X-ray system: “By adopting digital radioscopy, our general NDT inspection process has become quicker and consequently we are able to turn cars around much faster between races. Most significantly, the Y.MU2000-D has improved the inspection process of our composite assemblies, which are inherently difficult to inspect using our current NDT methods. We now have the ability to document detailed images of assembly items preceding and post-race for further analysis and future development. With the use of 75 seconds-quick computed tomography, we will be able to give up cost-intensive disassembling of high-quality parts in the future.”

Nick Chester, Technical Director: “We will be able to significantly increase the quality of single components both during development and production. Structural analyses of various materials, including fiber composites or 3D printed components, damage analyses and nominal/actual comparisons to CAD data, can be realized much faster and more precisely than with other technologies. This will have positive repercussions on the overall quality and safety of our racing cars but also help reduce costs and facilitate a faster deployment of technology innovation.” 
The Y.MU2000-D has been proving its reliability and flexibility in multiple applications all over the world, including a large range of samples and materials in the automotive, aerospace and other industries. Whether the system is used to spot check or serial inspection, the Y.MU2000-D is the complete, wide-range solution for inspection tasks; and has been used dependably in research & development, in institutes and labs, and in production, even in rough environments.

The Variofocus X-ray tube, which is used in the system supplied to Renault Sport Formula One TeamTM extends the bandwidth of inspection parts thanks to the scalable focal spot ranging from 250 µm at 290 W up to 800 µm at 1600 W, with optimum detail detectability. The Variofocus X-ray tube is especially proven in the Aerospace industry thanks to its flexibility and power to penetrate thick materials like aluminum or Inconel®. The CT function enables the operator to easily and quickly change from digital radioscopy (DR) to 2D and 3D computed tomography in order to obtain more detailed information about material, defects and inner structures.