Many people have heard of computerized tomography (CT) scanning in reference to medical tests. One of the best things about this kind of metrology is that regardless of the use, CT scanning services allow people to see inside bodies and objects to get a good look at what is happening inside without doing it any damage.
The technology was invented by Allan Commack from Tufts University and Godfrey Hounsfield from EMI Laboratories in 1972. The pair would later win the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1979 for this invention and the difference it made in medicine. There invention began to be used in clinical settings between 1974 and 1976. The original CT scanners were used only to look at patients’ heads but in 1976 scanners that could handle full body scanning were introduced and the technology became widely available to medical professionals and patients around 1980. Currently, there are about 6,000 scanners installed around the United States and nearly 30,000 installed worldwide.
Industrial scanning services have also taken off. This has been a boon for the field of metrology and there are very real benefits to using the 3D scanning services in a range of different industries. CT scanners basically take 2D x-ray images and compile them to form 3D images of objects. This gives in depth and detailed images of parts and products from the outside and inside. This is very helpful for any businesses that can benefit from looking inside various components and products.
Some of the industries that work in metrology and can use this technology are automotive manufacturing, aerospace technology, die cast manufacturing and electronics. More and more industries are looking to this kind of technology to improve their bottom line and cut their costs.
Images gained from industrial 3D scanner services are used for:
- Metrology.
- Flaw detection.
- Failure analysis.
- Improved assembly accuracy.
- Applications that use 3D reverse engineering.
How Does Industrial CT Scanning Help Industry?
- It reduces operating costs. Everyone has heard the saying, “time is money.” There are few places where that is more true than in the inspection of the internal components and parts of products. CT scanning services allow companies to do thorough and non-invasive inspections of these delicate parts much faster than it would take to disassemble all these products to inspect them. This time saved translates into money being saved. This is a win-win.
- Development time is decreased. CT scanning lets companies validate specifications accurately and rapidly. Scans that produce great images are made and viewed within just a few seconds. This has changed the nature of the pre-production process for a wide variety of companies and industries. Products can get from the design room to the store shelves a lot faster and with less work.
- Production can be improved and increased. Companies can take internal pieces and parts and replicate them quickly and easily. New prototypes and full production can happen in more shorter period of time than ever before. Production performance improvements mean a better bottom line.
- Product quality and accuracy is much better with CT scanning. Nothing is a better friend to metrology than industrial CT scanning. The images are of such great quality and precision that even the most tiny problems and flaws can be seen and fixed quickly and accurately. The end result is often better customer satisfaction.
- It lowers the chances for products recalls. No company likes to have to deal with recalls. They are expensive and bad for a brand. They can also be very hard to deal with the lawsuits that often ensue. Using this kind of inspection services and by improving the accuracy and quality of the end products means fewer recalls, which is good for every bottom line.
You do not have to manage a firm that deals only in metrology to benefit from industrial CT scanning. Any business that needs to look inside its parts and components without damaging them in the process can lower their costs and improve their bottom line by using this kind of technology for inspection and quality control. There are few kinds of scanners than can get the quality and the detailed imagery that is now possible with CT scanners. This is a cost effective system that will help almost any company’s bottom line.
