High Energy X-Ray Systems – An Overview
Higher-energy X-rays, improved imaging, and computer technology have enabled the avoidance of normal tissue irradiation to levels never before possible in radiation therapy, opening up new possibilities in the field.
In the automotive, and aerospace industries, high-energy scanning is used to check exceedingly thick and critical parts.
How it all began – The History
Prof.Dr.W.C. Röntgen stunned the scientific world when he discovered X-rays in November 1895.
A few weeks later, C. H. F. Müller, a glass blower with years of experience, was able to create the first commercial X-ray tube for one of the local hospitals in his Hamburg workshop. In January 1896, the first X-ray of a human hand was taken with this tube, laying the groundwork for what would become a significant technical business.
In the year 1899, C. For his X-ray tube with a water-cooled anticathode, H. F. Müller was granted patent rights.
Müller received a gold prize from the Röntgen Society of London two years later for his improved water-cooled X-ray tube with secondary electron capture. This tube was saved and is now on display at the Science Museum in London.
These diagnostic ion tubes constituted the pinnacle of technological progress at the time, and as the C. H. F. Müller’s industry increased fast, as did his standing in the scientific community.
With a merger in 1928, Müller and Philips were able to completely realize their partnership, allowing Müller to take advantage of his new partner’s experience in further advancing his ideas and research. This merger with a globally active corporation ushered in a completely new era in X-ray technology. The fast advancements in X-ray technology in the 1930s resulted in a surge in demand for Röntgenmüller equipment, forcing the mass production of X-ray systems for a wide range of uses in medicine, physics, and industry. Philips has positioned itself as the “leader” in modern X-ray technology, building on the solid foundations laid down by Röntgen and Müller.
Types of High Energy X-Ray Systems
- For Pipelines and Boilers
Pipelines carrying oil and gas, as well as boilers and other similar vessels, can be subjected to extreme stress, strain, and other impacts. X-ray inspection ensures that critical quality and safety criteria are met throughout the manufacturing and use processes. Mobile constant-potential X-ray systems are used in general assembly and maintenance operations, while stationary, high-performance constant-potential X-ray systems are suited for such goods. X-ray image intensifiers and TV facilities, as well as X-ray radiography, might be useful during actual production radioscopic inspection. Some such uses are depicted in the diagrams.
- In Nuclear Engineering
In nuclear engineering, maximum safety is a must, and X-ray inspection has become a common tool for ensuring that this safety is maintained throughout. Indeed, the approach is required for a significant number of nuclear components.
Nuclear power plants, for example, are known for their huge, heavy, and thick-walled constructions, which necessitate X-ray inspection systems that must be brought to the structure rather than vice versa. Reactor chambers and fuel evaporation tanks are two examples. This is why Philips X-ray systems are so popular in this field. These systems are the first choice where safety and quality are critical factors, thanks to their large constant-potential range and strong metal-ceramic X-ray tubes.
In Mechanical Engineering and Plant Construction
- In Shipbuilding and Off-Shore Installation
Safety at sea necessitates a high level of quality. X-ray examination of welded seams contributes significantly to reaching the required standards of quality and safety when building new ships or offshore installations, as well as for normal repairs and maintenance.
- In Research and Development,
It is also vital to know what is going on inside the sample in several fields of research. This would be nearly impossible without X-rays unless the thing was “broken-open.” Such action is unethical because research normally necessitates numerous phases of “inside” observations.
What happens if there is an overabundance of energy released within a nuclear fuel rod container?
Another application is in dosimetry, where X-ray systems are employed as calibration sources for dosemeters.
- In Aviation and Aerospace
In the sectors of aviation and aerospace, X-ray inspection is now a self-evident way of quality assurance in both manufacturing and general repair and maintenance. The significant advancements in aviation and aerospace would not have been achieved if comprehensive non-destructive testing had not been available. In this field, the rate of change is unrivaled.
Maximum safety is required, just as it is in nuclear engineering. Inspection of welds, castings, and materials such as glass or carbon fiber reinforced polymers has become standard practice in these essential and interesting industries. Even during routine maintenance procedures, a vast volume of diverse components is now subjected to complete X-ray inspection.
- In Electrical Engineering Industry and Electronics,
Effective quality assurance necessitates non-destructive testing, which is primarily reliant on non-destructive testing. Heating rods, batteries, microswitches, encapsulated components, integrated circuits, thermoelements, and other items are increasingly subjected to X-ray inspection in the electrical engineering and electronics industries.
In this branch, advanced image processing techniques provide new capabilities for industrial X-ray inspection.
- In Foundries
Although non-destructive testing methods such as X-rays and ultrasonics have been accessible to industry for some time, they have yet to be generally used in the metal-casting industry. This has been especially true in small and medium-sized foundries and departments in charge of the inbound component inspection.
Because of the rising demand for quality, particularly in the automobile industry, the allocation of orders has become increasingly reliant on X-ray inspection in recent years. This form of inspection is being used by competitive companies to ensure that their quality standards are met.
- In the Automotive Industry
Philips has developed specific radioscopic inspection equipment for cost-effective inspection of huge volumes. They’re used for everything from light alloy casting inspection to steel examination. As imaging systems, 6″ or 9″ X-ray image intensifiers with TV chains are employed.
Manipulators are available in a variety of configurations, ranging from manually driven to fully automated 6-axis robots.
- ComScan
ComScan is the name of Philips’ revolutionary non-destructive testing method that, for the first time, allows the depth of a defect to be determined radioscopically. To avoid geometric superimposition complicating picture interpretation, separate slices of the material are scrutinized. With this generation technique, Compton backscattering, which is considered an undesirable effect when using transmission radioscopy, is used to its advantage.
As a result, ComScan is well suited to detecting faults at the surface of large-volume components such as aerofoils or housing sealing surfaces. Furthermore, materials with low coefficients of absorption may now be investigated more efficiently with high-energy X-ray spectra.
High Energy X-Ray Systems – Overview
Without destroying or disassembling a product, industrial X-ray inspection equipment is used to detect defects or flaws. Oil and gas, electronics, semiconductors, automobiles, and aerospace are just a few of the industries that use these systems. The use of an industrial X-ray inspection system is growing in numerous industries because it detects problems without jeopardizing the product’s structural integrity while also providing great efficiency, precision, and speed, resulting in high product quality.
Industrial X-ray systems are crucial in product development, manufacture, fabrication, and installation. End-user demand for industrial X-ray inspection systems is rising as a result of a number of causes, including increased consumer awareness of quality products and completed goods, rising security concerns, increasing production automation, and product and internal component downsizing.
The expansion of the industrial X-ray inspection systems market is being fueled by stringent government laws governing asset safety, rising consumer awareness of quality standards, and rising security concerns in important infrastructure installations. Due to technological developments, increasing automation in digital X-ray inspection systems, shrinking of X-ray inspection systems for greater mobility, and an increase in user-friendly interfaces are expected to present substantial potential prospects for suppliers in this market.
The expansion of the industrial X-ray inspection systems market is being fueled by stringent government laws governing asset safety, rising consumer awareness of quality standards, and rising security concerns in important infrastructure installations. Due to technological developments, increasing automation in digital X-ray inspection systems, shrinking of X-ray inspection systems for greater mobility, and an increase in user-friendly interfaces are expected to present substantial potential prospects for suppliers in this market.
Impact of COVID-19 on the Industrial X-ray Inspection System Market
The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant influence on a variety of businesses around the world, with some industries either totally closing down industrial activities in response to local government mandates or working at reduced capacity to keep employees safe.
Due to operational delays, large corporations’ revenues plummeted dramatically. X-ray inspection is used in a variety of industries, such as automotive, aerospace, and oil and gas. As a result of the diminished economic activity and operations in these industries, the market for industrial X-ray inspection equipment was significantly hit.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the automotive industry, which is one of the largest end-users of industrial X-ray inspection systems, had a considerable drop in top-line revenues. The need for industrial X-ray inspection services in the automobile industry has decreased due to disrupted supply chains and production losses.
Various factors contributed to the decline, including disruptions in the export of automotive parts from China, disruptions in Europe’s manufacturing sector, and the closure of assembly plants in the United States, adding to the pressure on an industry already dealing with a lack of demand and increased mergers and acquisitions.
Lockdowns and border closures were enacted as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak’s fast spread across borders. Due to changes in passenger behavior, government travel restrictions, and global economic downturns, the COVID-19 pandemic impacted demand for air travel globally, affecting the aerospace business, notably the airline industry. Passenger traffic fell by 40 percent to 60 percent across major regions. As a result of the travel restrictions, the sector experienced lower productivity, supply chain issues, manpower limits, and inventory bottlenecks.
The COVID-19 epidemic caused significant losses in the electronics and semiconductors industries. Despite the losses, the market is likely to bounce back once things settle down. Manufacturing companies will progressively reintroduce X-ray inspection devices, but this will not be enough to make up for the losses suffered previously.
However, following COVID-19, airports and commercial spaces are likely to boost their demand for smaller X-ray systems in order to improve operating efficiency. Market recovery is also likely to be aided by the revival of electronics and semiconductor manufacturing.
Industrial X-ray Inspection System Market Overview
Components, imaging techniques, dimension, vertical, and geography are all used to segment the industrial X-ray inspection system market. The report also assesses industry competitors and examines the market on a country-by-country basis.
The industrial X-ray inspection system market is divided into hardware, software, support services, and consumables based on components. In 2022, the industrial X-ray inspection systems market is likely to be dominated by the hardware segment. The growing demand for high-quality X-ray detecting solutions, as well as technological improvements, are responsible for this segment’s considerable market share. During the forecast period, however, the software segment is expected to increase at the fastest CAGR. The expansion of this market may be ascribed to the ability to conduct a variety of functions, including workflow management, image processing, and determining, converting, and storing data received from various sensors digitally in a computer system.
The industrial X-ray inspection system market is divided into two categories based on imaging techniques: digital imaging and film-based imaging. In 2022, the industrial X-ray inspection systems market is likely to be dominated by the digital imaging segment. Digitalization, expanding industrial automation, rising quality standards, and safety are all aspects that have contributed to this segment’s substantial market share. Furthermore, over the forecast period, this segment is expected to have the greatest CAGR.
The digital imaging market can be divided into three types: direct radiography, computed radiography, and computed tomography. In 2022, the direct radiography sector is predicted to have the biggest market share. The substantial market share of this category may be due to several key aspects, including effective dynamic range, high contrast detectability, accurate picture capture, minimal radiation exposure, high flexibility, and lower operational expenses. These characteristics help direct radiography gain traction in a variety of industries.
The industrial X-ray inspection system market is divided into two categories based on their dimensions: 2D X-ray systems and 3D X-ray systems. In 2022, the 2D X-ray system is expected to have a greater market share. This segment’s substantial market share can be ascribed to its widespread use in the automotive, aerospace, and industrial industries to discover errors or flaws in finished products. The expansion of this category is fueled by the rising deployment of 2D X-ray equipment across these industries. During the projected period, however, the 3D X-ray systems category is expected to increase at the fastest CAGR. The expansion of this market can be ascribed to the fact that they are utilized in a variety of industries, including manufacturing, electronics, and aerospace.
Electronics and semiconductors, aerospace, automotive, public infrastructure, power generation, oil & gas, food & beverages, manufacturing, and other verticals make up the industrial X-ray inspection system market. The electronics and semiconductors segment is predicted to have the biggest market share in 2022 among these verticals. The growing usage of X-ray inspection for 3D packaging in electronics, as well as the incorporation of X-ray inspection in non-destructive testing of components, PCB assemblies, and solder connections, is responsible for this segment’s substantial market share. Furthermore, during the forecast period, this category is expected to have the greatest CAGR.
The market for industrial X-ray inspection systems is divided into five primary regions based on geography: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East and Africa. In 2022, North America is expected to hold the greatest share of the global market for industrial X-ray inspection systems. The expanding demand for industrial X-ray equipment in the oil and gas industry is principally responsible for this region’s substantial market share. The COVID-19 epidemic had a significant detrimental influence on the North American market for industrial X-ray inspection systems. Due to poor output and low oil prices, major oil and gas corporations in the region reduced their investments in inspection-related activities.
The key players operating in the overall industrial X-ray inspection system market are North Star Imaging Inc. (U.S.), Nikon Metrology, Inc. (U.S.), Nordson Corporation (U.S.), YXLON International GmbH (Germany), VJ Group, Inc. (U.S.), 3DX-RAY Ltd (U.K.), Visiconsult GmbH (Germany), Smiths Detection Group Ltd. (U.K.), Mettler Toledo International Inc. (U.S.), Maha X-ray Equipment Private Limited (India), Baker Hughes Company (U.S.), Ishida Co., Ltd. (Japan), Carl Zeiss AG (Germany), Ametek, Inc. (U.S.), and Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (U.S.) among others.