Operating Manual

The new phoenix v|tome|x m of GE Inspection Technologies is the industry’s first compact
300 kV CT system for 3D metrology and failure analysis with less than 1µm detail
detectability, suitable for 500 x 600 mm samples with a field-of-view up to 300 mm diameter
and 400 mm in height and up to 50 kg in weight. The system offers excellent magnification
and resolution for high-absorbing metal samples. With up to 500 W the tube comes with also
enough power to examine a broad range of parts, including light metal castings in just a few
minutes. For particularly high-resolution scans, an optional 180 kV high-power nanofocus tube
can be selected at the touch of a button. Its versatility ensures the new system a wide spectrum
of applications in materials science, industrial failure analysis, process control and 3D
metrology in industrial sectors ranging from castings and electronics to plastics, geology and
aerospace, including turbine blade inspection.
Fig. 2: Comparison of a turbine blade scanned using a conventional 225 kV tube (left) and GE’s 300 kV (xy
sections): The 300 kV microfocus X-ray tube enables more precise scans with significantly reduced artifacts
ensuring more precise wall thickness measurements (right).
3. Non-Destructive 3D Defect Analysis
Over the past few years, industrial computed tomography has made great advances in
increasingly higher resolution and ever greater reconstruction speeds for 3D volume data.
Thanks to graphics processor unit (GPU)-based image reconstruction, CT results are now
available within minutes.
Full three-dimensional scanning of samples and the possibility of creating cross-sections from
any angle opens up new analysis-related and time-saving potential for foundry-based quality
controls. With automatic porosity analysis (fig. 3), the size of the inclusions can be shown on a
table or marked in different colours on the component itself, thus giving an indication as to the
quality of the cast process, or component stability. It can also be used to verify correct
assembly or to determine the position of cast components following an inconclusive 2D X-ray
inspection.