Description
Challenge
A key aerospace customer needed to rapidly gauge the size of foreign object debris (FOD) seen during tube inspections using the Milliscope HDV video scope. They positioned and secured 0.010” (0.25mm) width monofilament radially around the outside diameter of the Milliscope HDV distal tip, which then appeared in the scope's optical field of view. When they came upon FOD during their inspection, these monofilaments could be placed against the artifacts by way of scope tip manipulation and, being of known width, could be used to measure the artifacts to determine if they were problematic effectively.
Development
While this solution was highly effective, the fabrication and application of the tiny monofilaments proved to be tedious for users and inconsistent in terms of positioning and adhesion. During a site visit, Intertest and Zibra Corp team members suggested that a custom-engineered Milliscope HDV tip solution could be designed to incorporate these monofilaments in an aligned and efficiently replaceable manner.
The Cosmic Whiskers program was launched!
Solution
Zibra Corporation’s engineering and optical design teams leveraged their 40+ years of experience to create functional prototypes that allowed for real-world concept testing. Developers relied on the latest high-resolution additive manufacturing technology and other micro-machining capabilities to create a tip design. This design aligned and secured the four monofilament pieces while allowing them to be field-replaceable.
No tape or adhesives are required to secure the monofilament, and the Milliscope HDV video scope distal tip maintained a smooth, round outer surface at a total of 2.9 mm OD. The final product's outer diameter is 2.9 mm, and the scope's surface allows the user to push the scope through bends for adequate inspections seamlessly.
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