Interested in using industrial CT scanning services in your work? Unless you have an extra cone beam computerized tomography device handy, then you’ll have to outsource your 3D scan services to a third party company. Fortunately, as technology has improved, so have the capabilities of industrial CT scanning inspection services, which can now offer a wide range of analyses.
But how does this process work exactly?
If an archaeologist wants a highly detailed 3D image or cross section of a priceless antique, and they need to be absolutely certain they don’t damage the artifact in the process, then cone beam imaging provides a secure, reliable method for analysis. Likewise, if an industrial manufacturer needs to reverse engineer a component or wants to compare a finished item to their CAD file, then CT scanning services are often their go-to method for inspection.
Computed Tomography Scan: How Does It Work?
While there are a variety of 3D imaging technologies available today, cone beam CT scanning is emerging as the most reliable method. In recent years, a wide range of designers, scientists, engineers, and firms have begun to rely on industrial CT scanning services for everything from quality assurance to reverse engineering. These techniques can provide composite analysis, part-to-part analysis, allow engineers to compare finished products to CAD files, as well as custom 3D reverse engineering services.
Like other forms of x-ray imaging, these scans are created by energizing photos through an item and capturing the results on a complex detector, which translates the data into extremely detailed digital files. Because high density areas appear darker than low density areas, it’s possible to take a wide variety of measurements.
In industrial cone beam CT scanning, inspectors use four primary objects to create the image: the x-ray source, a rotating table, a detector, and the item being scanned. As the table rotates, the detector creates thousands of cross sections of the object, which is then compiled into a 3D image. In this way, the scan contains a vast amount of information to analyze.
The best industrial CT scanning services can offer accuracy ranging from 1 micron to 150 microns. In general, higher resolutions will cost more, particularly once you pass the 5 micron threshold.
Because these setups are both extremely delicate, requiring precise calibration by inspection experts, and extremely heavy, it’s become common to outsource 3D inspection to companies that specialize in these services.
