Computed tomography (CT) is the most effective technology for non-destructive testing (NDT).The dataset obtained from a CT scan allows users to examine material samples, observe defects, perform measurements and identify materials with different densities. Engineers, builders, researchers and scientists can therefore discover features that could not previously be examined without destroying the test object.

In an extensive development project from the automotive industry, funded by the BMBF in AGENT-3D, it once again became clear that x-ray computed tomography is much more than a technology for non-destructive material testing. Moreover, CT supports in research & development as well as in the elaboration of production processes and helps to save time and money.

In this video Dirk Steiner compares two examples of scans at 550mm vs 1100mm detector distance using a micro-focus tube to illustrate how scan speed can be increased, and he shows the impact on image quality and dimensional deviation. 
 

You might be surprised to know cast metal products can be found in 90 percent of manufactured goods and equipment throughout the world. From critical components for aircraft and automobiles to home appliances and surgical equipment, cast metal products play an important role in today’s economy especially in the United States. The U.S. is the world’s largest supplier, shipping $18 billion worth of products annually (according to the Office of Industrial Technologies report, Metal Casting – Industry of the Future).

Thanks to most recent developments, computed tomography (CT) is now an affordable and efficient
technology for non-destructive testing of workpieces made of a vast variety of materials. While digital radiography provides two-dimensional fluoroscopic images, computed tomography typically rotates the object between the X-ray tube and the flat-panel detector 360° and captures several hundred to well over a thousand X-ray images from various angles.

Starting out mainly as a prototyping technology Additive Manufacturing (AM) gained tremendous momentum for  use in industrial applications over the last 5 years. For highly demanding functional parts, laser beam powder bed fusion (LB-PBF) became the most dominant AM technology.

The Zoological Museum in the Center for Natural History at the University of Hamburg is currently running a special exhibition about the tragic phenomenon of disappearing species in the animal kingdom.