Lithium-ion batteries (LIB) have become an indispensable part of modern life. The intensive testing of rechargeable batteries is not only important for ensuring their quality and function but even more for safety aspects.

In a CT system, X-ray photons emitted from an X-ray tube will travel through the object and hit a detector. The detector senses the dose at each pixel of the detector area. This creates digital images while the object is rotated. The reconstruction software calculates virtual slices based on the dose at each location from different angles. The result is called a tomogram. Each pixel in the tomogram represents a density of material, a voxel.

There is a range of terminology for CT system accuracy and uncertainty that should be understood when evaluating 3D scanning systems, this blog post illustrates some of those terms, such as Precision and Accuracy, Tolerance, Uncertainty of Measurement, Resolution, Error, and Suitability.

Evolution, and thereby the origin of us human beings, still raises many questions for science. Prof. Dr. John Nyakatura, who holds the chair of 'Comparative Zoology' at the Humboldt University in Berlin, and his young team of junior scientists are focusing on the functional morphology of vertebrates and trying to track down the evolution of early primates. "A key to understanding their evolution seems to be the feet," John Nyakatura explains.

Electromobility confronts the automotive industry with many new challenges. New components sometimes require new test methods to ensure functionality and safety. Research and development are running at full blast and partnerships find solutions that clearly push the current boundaries of what is possible. In a joint project, the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials and Yxlon International have succeeded for the first time in taking a look into the inside of cast rotors.

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.

The growth of the orthopedics market poses a huge opportunity for Industrial Computed Tomography (CT) as a quality inspection tool for this highly regulated industry, where quality and safety are of the utmost importance. This article published in the recent Medial Design Briefs magazine explores how CT can be a valuable tool for design and quality engineers to help them ensure their critical products meet and exceed regulatory standards, and also details the benefits of CT for additive manufacturing.