Why would an industrial job require a CT scanner?

Once regarded to be a tool of the future or a power only available to Superman, the ability to see through solid objects is now more common and accessible than you may have imagined.

Computed tomography (CT) imaging technology was formerly restricted to usage in medical settings. It has just established a new home in the manufacturing industry and is creating a wide range of new prospects.

CT is currently often utilized for product evaluation and package integrity assessment in a variety of industrial metrology contexts, both in the lab and online or inline. The key benefit is that no damage or destruction is done to the objects themselves, making it possible to investigate a part's inside structure or a package's closure mechanism.

The same technology used in hospital and doctor's office CT scanners is also used by industrial CT scanners, which take several readings from different angles and turn the CT greyscale images into voxel-based 3-dimensional point clouds. A specialist can create a CAD-to-part comparison map, build a 3D model of the component, or reverse engineer the part to meet their needs once the CT scanner produces the point cloud. This skill is crucial in the packaging industry, especially when it comes to pharmaceutical or personal products. Online or lab scanning, for instance, can rapidly compare a manufactured good to the CAD program in many ways. High-speed scanning inline, for instance, can check pill bottles' seals for airtight quality assurance.

Industrial scanners have a number of benefits, including the ability to obtain an object's internal structure without causing any damage, validate incredibly accurate internal dimensions, compare data to reference models, eliminate shaded zones, work with objects of all shapes and sizes, and produce images with extremely high resolution.

1. Reverse engineering is the technique of measuring a part or thing that already exists and then producing an accurate CAD clone. When you have a produced part or thing but not the original prints or design data, this technology is quite helpful.
2. Non-contact measuring is the method of using 3D scanners that resemble laser-emitting cameras to capture the geometry of existent items.
3. Contact measurement is a technique for gathering isolated locations in relation to one another. There are several options for contact measurement solutions, and portable CMMs typically use one of two system types: 1) Digitizing or articulating arms are utilized to capture localized or small volume information. 2) Optical solutions, such as laser trackers and photogrammetry units, are employed for larger volumetric projects.
4. Long-range scanning provides a precise 360-degree 3D image of a building, bridge, area of land, business, or manufacturing process.
5. Art forgeries may seem strange for what is generally considered to be an industrial product, yet every year, hundreds of art museums, dealers, and auction houses use scanning to authenticate artworks and, in the case of sculpture, the structural integrity of the piece.
6. Model to manufacturing processing: Before casting a monument in bronze or creating a high-end clothing line, artists would frequently have their models, whether fabricated or real people, scanned for dimension.

These 3D imaging tools and long-range scanners support a variety of industries and aid in ensuring that testing is carried out as accurately and thoroughly as feasible. Here are a few examples of the various sectors currently adopting this technology and the objectives they seek:

1. Manufacturing - for internal component inspection and to guarantee that a part complies with specifications; includes injection-molded, cast, forged, or fabricated parts made of metal, plastic, polymers, composite materials, and even 3D-printed goods.
2. Power generation/nuclear - may check for pipe alignment, boiler integrity, containment building stability, and other factors in a nuclear power plant or other facility that generates conventional power.
3. A one-off knee joint, for instance, can be accurately compared to the original CAD program as well as the doctor's MRI for accuracy in the field of medical devices, equipment, implants, orthotics, and prosthetics.
4. Automotive and aerospace - enables engineers to test machinery virtually, aids in understanding failures, and serves as a tool for research and development to examine structures and model reactions.
5. Arts - in the integrity of sculptures and the identification of frauds
6. To inspect for air bubbles and general porosity in metal castings
7. Examining the integrity of food packaging and its contents
8. Industry of plastics: quality, wall-thickness, and porosity examination inspection
9. Moldmaking - provides an effective measurement and inspection tool to confirm accurate injection molds and examine the part's structural integrity.

Industrial scanning equipment comes in a variety of shapes and sizes to accommodate various application types. All of these are currently available, typically from a manufacturer or a service organization, for one-time contract use, with rent or lease-to-buy arrangements being an option. Micro units in tabletop styles for lab use all the way up to full industrial grade floor models for in-plant or in-process use, as well as portable measuring arms that can be used on the shop floor or out in the field. After using our services, many of our clients go out and buy the tools and training necessary to bring this high-end metrology to their internal CMM or test lab, for example. Metrology is frequently integrated into the production line in bigger manufacturing facilities today for instantaneous analysis of parts, whether molded, stamped, welded, or otherwise produced, as well as packaged items.

A vast variety of measurement features and capabilities are available with standard CT scanners. Small desktop models that meet the strictest requirements and include 3D details as small as 0.25 mm are the starting point for sizes. From 160kV for nanoscale resolution, to 225kV, 320W, to the greatest power of 300kV, 320W, they can be fitted with various X-ray powers.

There are larger scanners available for highly quick CT data gathering on workpieces up to 50 kg and 600 mm tall (110 lb). Examples of typical tasks carried out by this kind of technology include automatic pour porosity volume analysis on an aluminum casting, 3D measurements with nominal-actual CAD comparisons on an aluminum cylinder head, and 3D analysis of a scanned turbine blade.

Industrial scanning has endless potential, especially when used in conjunction with additive manufacturing techniques like 3D printing. In the next five to ten years, the industrial scanning market is poised for explosive expansion as technology, performance, and cost are all improved.

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