Industrial Computed Tomography (CT)

With the ZEISS METROTOM 1500, internal structures as well as hidden defects such as pores, cracks, or material inclusions can be made visible without damaging the component. Equipped with a 2K detector, the system enables high resolution and precise analysis of material defects, geometric deviations, and internal structures. The method is suitable for a wide range of materials such as metal, plastic, and ceramic, and allows detailed inspection of both small and complex components.

Experience and Capabilities

We have many years of experience in operating industrial computed tomography (CT) systems, enabling us to analyze components and materials precisely and non-destructively.

CT technology offers decisive advantages:

• Detailed insights into the internal structure of components without disassembly.
• Rapid detection of material defects, porosity, or structural deviations.
• Reliable measurement of multiple components in a single scan, also suitable for series inspection.
  

Despite its enormous capabilities, the process of industrial computed tomography is not without challenges. Some factors that can complicate the procedure include:

• Material Density and Variety: High-density materials make X-ray penetration more difficult and can affect image quality.
• Component Size and Complexity: Particularly large or complex-shaped components require special settings and increase analysis time.
• Customer Requirements and Standards: Different requirements call for tailored solutions and increase the effort needed for preparation and evaluation.

Despite these challenges, we do everything we can to deliver high-quality and reliable results to our customers. Thanks to our experience, we are also able to measure components that exceed the measuring volume. We also place the highest value on finding a way to scan each component by tomography and capture a dimensionally accurate 3D model in order to provide reliable results.

More About Our METROTOM 1500

Measuring Multiple Components: 

The economic efficiency of scanning multiple components by tomography results from the efficiency of the process and the ability to scan several components at the same time. By automating the CT process, multiple parts can be captured in a single measurement, which increases throughput and reduces the cost per component. This is especially advantageous in serial quality inspection or in the analysis of multiple components from the same production batch. 

Additional Calculation Methods:

1. AMMAR (Advanced Multi Material Artifact Reduction)

• Purpose: Reduction of artifacts caused by components made of different materials (multi-material).
• Background: When a component consists of materials with significantly different densities (e.g. plastic and metal), streak and shadow artifacts can occur. These are caused by uneven absorption of X-rays and impair image quality.
• How it works: AMMAR corrects these artifacts using advanced algorithms by detecting and compensating for the absorption differences between the materials.
• Application: Typically used for two-component parts (2K parts) or composite materials, e.g. plastic components with metal inserts.

2. Beam Hardening Correction

• Purpose: Prevention of beam hardening artifacts.
• Background: Beam hardening occurs when low-energy photons are absorbed more strongly by the material than high-energy photons. This leads to dark streaks or distortions in the reconstructed image.

• Correction: Beam hardening correction computationally adjusts the radiation intensity and
  compensates for differences in X-ray penetration.

3. Scatter Correction

• Purpose: Minimization of scattered radiation
• Background: Scattered radiation occurs when X-rays are scattered within the material before reaching the detector. This distorts the measured data and results in a blurred or inaccurate image.
• Solution: Scatter correction calculates and removes this unwanted scattered portion from the raw data, significantly improving image quality.

5 Examples of Non-Measurable Materials:

Various materials cannot be measured reliably for different reasons. High-density materials absorb X-rays almost completely. Composite materials with glass or carbon fibers often cause strong scattering and artifacts. In addition, two-component parts (2K parts) with similar densities are difficult to distinguish from one another. Below are five examples that generally make CT measurement more difficult:

1. Lead (Pb)
Reason: Very high density and strong absorption of X-rays. The rays can barely penetrate the material, which leads to heavy image noise or complete opacity..

2. Tungsten (W)
Reason: The highest density among metallic elements and a high absorption coefficient. It requires extremely high energies, which severely limits resolution and image quality.

3. Gold (Au)
Reason: Similar to lead and tungsten, gold has a high density and absorbs X-rays almost completely, making penetration difficult.

4. Carbon Fiber Reinforced Composites (CFRP)
Reason: Strong X-ray scattering caused by different material layers and carbon fibers. This leads to artifacts and unclear images, especially in thick components.

5. Ceramics with a high zirconium oxide content (ZrO₂)
Reason: High X-ray absorption and low permeability, especially in densely sintered structures. Image quality is severely limited.