At Covalent, curiosity doesn’t clock out at 5 p.m.
Recently, our team headed to Topgolf San Jose for an afternoon of team building. The agenda was simple: enjoy some friendly competition, spend time together outside the lab, and see who had the best golf swing (spoiler: not everyone should quit their day job).
As the games went on, however, the conversation drifted away from golf and toward engineering—as it often does around here.
Someone asked a simple question:
“How does the system know exactly where every golf ball lands?”
The debate was on.
Some argued it had to be an incredibly sophisticated camera system. Others weren’t convinced and argued that there has to be a chip inside the ball. Before long, a few friendly bets were on the line. There was only one way to settle the argument.
We Knew What We Had to Do
Back at the lab, we did what any group of materials scientists and engineers would do. We scanned a Topgolf golf ball using our Nordson Dage Quadra 7 microCT system.
Micro-computed tomography (microCT) uses X-rays to create detailed three-dimensional images of an object’s internal structure without cutting it open. It’s a technique we routinely use to inspect electronics, batteries, medical devices, additive manufactured parts, and countless other products for hidden defects and internal features.
If there was anything inside the golf ball, we’d find it.
The Results
The reconstructed CT images answered our question almost immediately.
Hidden beneath the outer shell of the ball was an embedded electronic module.
The scan clearly revealed a small packaged device located near the center of the ball—evidence that the ball contains internal electronics used as part of Topgolf’s ball-tracking system.
Mystery solved.
The “there’s a chip inside” team collected their winnings.
More Than Just a Fun Experiment
While this started as a lighthearted wager among coworkers, it highlights something we love about engineering: curiosity.
Many people see everyday objects and accept them for what they are. Engineers tend to ask different questions.
“How does that work?”
“What’s inside?”
“How was it made?”
Those questions drive innovation—and they’re exactly the kinds of questions our customers bring to us every day.
Whether it’s understanding why a semiconductor failed, locating voids inside a battery, inspecting defects in a medical device, or simply satisfying curiosity about a golf ball, nondestructive imaging allows us to look beneath the surface without destroying the sample.
Have a product you’re curious about?
Whether you’re investigating a product failure, validating a new design, or simply trying to understand what’s hidden inside, Covalent’s advanced characterization techniques—including industrial microCT—can reveal the internal structures that conventional inspection methods can’t see. Contact us to learn how nondestructive imaging can help solve your next engineering challenge.