Exact Metrology, a comprehensive 3D metrology service provider and hardware sales company, has recently installed a ZEISS METROTOM 6 scout, formally known as a GOM CT, scanner at their facility in Brookfield, Wisconsin.
Considered the powerhouse of resolution for CT inspection and metrology, the METROTOM 6 scout digitizes complex parts including the internal geometries at the finest level of detail. Users obtain a complete 3D image for GD&T analysis or nominal-actual comparisons. The metrology CT excels in digitizing small plastic parts.
The combination of a 3k detector and 225 kV X-ray enables ZEISS METROTOM 6 scout to provide high contrast, high-resolution measurement results and exceptional sharpness of detail. As a result, even the smallest defects in the part become visible and can be analyzed to the last detail.
To showcase the ability of Exact Metrology’s CT scanning services, powered by the METROTOM 6 scout, a scan was done on a medical stent. This medical stent, with a diameter of only 1 millimeter, was measured within a 5 Micron resolution. Thus, Exact Metrology inspectors were able to evaluate critical features with amazing precision.
CT scanning provides several benefits including being the only way to get 3D views inside a part and the only way to obtain accurate dimensional data without cutting up and destroying an object. In addition, CT scanning requires very little time to capture data and troubleshoot parts and also offers multiple uses with one scan (void analysis, inspection, volume, porosity, reverse engineering, etc.). In contrast to conventional tactile coordinate measurement techniques, a CT acquires all surface points simultaneously —on even the most complex objects. This includes all hidden features like undercuts which are not accessible using other non-destructive measurement methods.
Due to its ability to see data layer by layer, CT scanning permitted Exact Metrology inspectors the ability to see any possible defects/details on the stent. This is crucial for any medical device, especially something as small and essential as a stent that goes into the human body.