Time is money!

Upgrade kit allows threefold time saving in industrial computed tomography (CT).

Demand for CT analyses is increasing, and measurements of this kind can take several hours depending on the specifi c testing application. At the Fraunhofer Development Center X-ray Technology EZRT, we have therefore been working with xray-lab to develop the PolyCT upgrade kit, which can reduce measuring times by up to a factor of three.

Compatible with all standard industrial CT systems, the kit can be put into operation quickly and easily in just a few steps. This allows users to retain fl exibility in the CT scanner and to use the upgrade kit on various systems. Despite the kit’s simplicity, it provides enormous potential for savings: Measurement series can be performed up to three times faster with PolyCT – even when it comes to challenging tasks such as analyzing objects with poor transparency.

The special thing about this idea is that the upgrade kit integrates into the CT measurement process by purely mechanical means, removing the need for elaborate interventions into the system controller and making it accessible to a wide group of users. The CT scan proceeds as normal, with the difference being that the three samples to be measured each rotate about their own axis. To create a volume data set out of the resulting projection data, we developed the PolyReko software, which automatically ensures optimum image quality at the same time. This produces results in a third of the time that are no different from those of an individual scan.

"The PolyCT kit is clamped into the CT chuck instead of the sample or directly mounted on top of the rotary table using a centering adapter," explains Michael Salamon, project manager at Fraunhofer EZRT. PolyCT is adjusted using a built-in laser liner module, which allows easy alignment of the three rotating centers at right angles to the CT system’s central beam.

"The development of PolyCT draws on experience and expertise gained in over a decade of providing industrial X-ray services," says Alexander Brock, Sales and Marketing Manager at xray-lab GmbH & Co. KG. "The PolyCT kit has a wide range of possible applications." Where the system’s accuracy permits, the instrument upgrade will also be suitable for metrological tasks and is therefore not restricted solely to non-destructive testing.