Industrial Computed Tomography (CT), Computed Radiographic (CR) Scanning, and X-Ray systems are instruments that accurately measure industrial materials through advanced methods in an attempt to analyze the essence of the subject. Industrial CT scanning originates from radiographic technology. This provides a reliable testing technique for locating and measuring volumetric detail. X-ray systems penetrating through various densities allow for CT results to provide nondestructive physical characterization and analysis of internal structures. This scanning method accesses internal data equally well on metallic and nonmetallic objects, solid and fibrous materials, and irregularly and smooth surface objects. The process is typically necessary during pre-production, production, failure investigation, lot inspection, and reverse engineering.
There are two types of medical and industrial CT and CR scanners: parallel x-ray beam scanners and fan x-ray beam scanners. Parallel x-ray beam scanners can be categorized into first and second-generation systems. Similarly, fan x-ray beam systems are categorized into third and fourth-generation systems. These different types of CT scanners are named according to their method of data collection, rather than the shape or structure of the beam itself.