Deltaray lève 4,2 millions d’euros d’argent frais


Hasselt – Deltaray, a spin-off of imec and Antwerp University, has just raised 4.2 million euros in fresh cash from the Industrya investment fund, its long-standing investor LRM and a few private investors to fund the further development of its innovative tool for 3D product quality control. Deltaray’s globally patented technology allows for items to be x-ray scanned and for these scans to be analysed and inspected in 3D using Artificial Intelligence (AI). This means that companies can check the internal quality of each product in the production line and at production line speed in a non-destructive manner. This innovation sees Deltaray deliver a response that is perfectly geared to the Industry 4.0 trend.

Deltaray is a spin-off of imec Vision Lab, an imec laboratory at Antwerp University. The research lab develops innovative imaging technologies, such as medical and industrial x-ray Computed Tomography (x-ray CT) for instance.

The fresh capital puts the total amount invested in Deltaray at 5.7 million euros. The company will be using the money to further develop its 3D Accelerated x-ray technology (3DAX) with a view to the worldwide launch of fully automated x-ray inspection machines and the 3DAX imaging kits. The latter enable machine manufacturers and automation companies to integrate the Deltaray technology into their own automation systems and into production solutions for their customers.

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Patented technology

“Today, x-ray is already being used for random quality checks,” explains CEO and co-founder Dirk Hamelinck, “but the thing that makes Deltaray so unique is the sheer speed with which our technology is able to do the job. It is a hundred times faster than any of the current alternatives. We literally scan every single product on the production floor fully automatically at regular production speeds, which immediately flags up any unexpected flaws.”

Deltaray is based at the Greenville site in Houthalen-Helchteren, an incubator set up by LRM. The business holds an exclusive worldwide licence to the technology for industrial inspection applications. Thanks to the company’s Zero Defects policy, this kind of quality control technology is especially rewarding for companies operating in the automotive industry, the medical industry and the manufacturing industry, where the complexity of the parts manufactured demands thorough quality control of every single item.

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2022 launch: 3DAX imaging kit 

The devices that are used today for the purpose of visual quality checks inspect only the exterior. They do not provide any information about the non-visible parts. This is the case of x-ray CT scans. As large amounts of images need to be processed, this method works much slower. Deltaray scans items non-invasively and generates 3D defect assays that are typically one hundred times faster than CT scans. Today, the company is already offering its customers fully automated inspection systems as all-in-one solutions. It will shortly also be introducing its new 3DAX imaging kit solution as a ground-breaking inspection technology for machine manufacturers and industrial automation players. The 3DAX imaging kit will be available across Europe from September 2022 and is set to be launched around the world in late 2022. Industry 4.0 

“As an investment company, LRM has been actively scouting for innovative businesses for a good number of years,” says LRM’s Head of Investments Tom Aerts. “Deltaray’s smart technology pushes all existing boundaries and is perfectly geared to the Industry 4.0 trend, whereby flexible, connected and data-driven production is becoming the norm and data and inspections are fast gaining importance. Based on the strength of the organisation’s seasoned management team, its close links with knowledge institutions such as imec and Antwerp University and the trust of Industrya, we are very confident about Deltaray’s onward growth.”

“We were suitably impressed with the solutions Deltaray has engineered to improve and digitise quality control in manufacturing environments,” explains Industrya’s Chief Investment Officer Alexandre Braconnier. “Deltaray was fed by a powerful eco system in Limburg and is now ready to take on the world. Along with the management team and all fellow investors, Industrya is looking forward to support Deltaray’s international expansion drive.”

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