With ever-increasing demands being made on inspection systems, only the highest standards are acceptable for accurate assessment. Computerised tomography (CT) and digital radiography (DR) provide the power to examine components to new levels of precision. With Tomohawk, these high technology systems are cost-effective for many industrial applications. Tomohawk is a PC-based CT and DR package, which can be either incorporated into a new turnkey system or used to upgrade real-time radiographic equipment. It includes a complete package of software, customised PC system, precision turntable and controller with a high resolution monitor for image display. Tomohawk has established itself as a leading-edge system in the market-place with its user-friendly software which includes data acquisition, tomographic reconstruction and image display. Now it has a new edge: a fully Windows™-compatible system with integrated software for data collection, processing and display enhancement. This replaces the old DOS-based data collection system, and provides the familiar, easy-to-use Windows environment throughout, with obvious advantages for operators. All information can be easily transferred into other Windows applications, providing the power to generate graphs, Excel™ spreadsheets, Access™ databases or reports in Word.™ As an additional bonus, the digital radiography capabilities are greatly enhanced with the use of the Windows environment. A new Tomohawk software option enables data to be collected over a 360° scan, and be displayed as a 3-D CT image. A dedicated 3-D visualisation software package allows interactive viewing of the 3-D dataset. This means that the user can select displays of cross-sections at orthogonal or oblique angles, to obtain detailed information about the internal structure of complex components. Tomohawk provides both power and flexibility: small components can be inspected to an accuracy of 5 microns, and large objects up to 1.2m x 1m to an accuracy of 1mm. Data can be collected from up to 50 cross-sectional views in a single rotation in 2-D CT mode, and precision measurements made directly from the image in CT mode. The new Windows Tomohawk is on show at some major exhibitions this year. Already, the responses are enthusiastic about the new faster data collection and processing, and the ease of storing permanent records on disc for future use. One aspect which customers particularly welcome is the ability to reprocess the data stored on disk after data collection has finished and after other objects have been inspected.

AEA Technology plc
Sonomatic Products and Services
RD9, Risley, Warrington, WA3 6AT, UK
Phone: +44 1925 253442
Fax: +44 1925 253676
Email: Sonomatic@aeat.co.uk