Development of low-cost industrial x-ray computed tomography system based on digital fluoroscopy

Abstract

Computed tomography (CT) offers an effective method of non-destructive testing for quality control in the manufacturing of complex parts. Using CT allows examination any internal anomaly of a sample like a defect, internal porosity, void detection, and cracks. However commercial X-ray CT equipment on markets is expensive. So it is required to develop low-cost X-ray CT equipment that provides good image quality and fast scanning. This paper describes the development of digital fluoroscopy-based X-ray CT system. It consists of an X-ray source, a rotary table system, a digital fluoroscopy detector, and a computer. This research uses a fluorescent screen to make the X-ray image visible which then digitized by a CMOS camera. The real-time radiographic image can be visualized and interpreted using a computer. These advantages make acquisition time for scanning images is reduced to only a few seconds. This equipment is relatively cheaper than the same system used in industry. It has been tested with an object of an aluminum step wedge cylinder by scanning 361 images, which were then reconstructed using the Octopus Reconstruction 8.9 software with a filtered back-projection method. The resulting image quality is quite good as it is easily interpreted by the user’s eyesight. The implication of this research is the possibility of producing a low-cost X-ray CT equipment made within the country.