GiantEye, a high-energy computed tomography (CT) system designed for large-scale industrial inspection, is scheduled to go into operation at the Fraunhofer Development Center for X-ray Technology in Fürth in early 2027. The gantry-based system is designed to enable non-destructive 3D inspection and digitization of objects up to the size of a 20-foot sea freight container.
Unlike its predecessor system, GiantEye allows test objects to be scanned in their original “road position.” The object remains stationary in its natural standing or lying position while the X-ray source and detector rotate around it on a ring-shaped structure. This approach is designed to support large-volume industrial inspection while avoiding changes caused by repositioning, uprighting or disassembly.
GiantEye Brings 9 MeV CT to Large Industrial Objects
GiantEye is based on a gantry configuration and uses a 9 MeV linear accelerator as its X-ray source. The system is designed for objects measuring up to approximately 6.1 meters in length and 2.5 meters in height, corresponding to the dimensions of a 20-foot sea freight container. It can achieve spatial resolution of up to approximately 400 μm voxel size and material penetration of up to around 20 cm of steel or 60 cm of aluminum.
The system builds on the principle of clinical CT scanners but applies it on a scale intended for large industrial objects. By keeping the test object stationary while the source and detector rotate, GiantEye is designed to enable inspection of assembled structures, filled containers and other objects that cannot easily be repositioned or uprighted.
Original-Position Inspection Supports Industrial NDT
A key feature of GiantEye is its ability to inspect objects in a near-operational state. Keeping fluids, moving components and the effects of gravity closer to their natural conditions can improve the significance of metrological evaluations while reducing the potential distortions associated with disassembly or repositioning.
The system is also designed to provide high information density from individual scans. A single measurement can provide information relevant to multiple technical requirements, including geometry, material integrity and the relative position of individual components.
This capability creates opportunities for non-destructive testing, quality assurance, product development and documentation involving large and complex structures.
Flexible Inspection and Measurement Campaigns
Through the new service offering around GiantEye, industrial customers will be able to use the system for individual measurements, multi-part measurement series across a product lifecycle, or inspections supporting development and testing programs.
Customers can receive detailed 3D volume data accompanied by professional evaluation from the Development Center for X-ray Technology. Fraunhofer's experience with high-energy CT for very large objects dates back to 2013, providing a foundation for the methodological and evaluation expertise supporting the GiantEye service.
The resulting digital data can also support product development, quality assurance and documentation. Access to realistic 3D data generated through computed tomography is expected to contribute to increasingly data-driven and AI-supported product development.
GiantEye Builds on High-Energy CT Pilot System
The GiantEye concept builds on a smaller pilot system installed at the Rheinland-Pfalz Technical University (RPTU). The system is used to examine concrete columns under load conditions and has demonstrated the application of the gantry principle in the high-energy range.
GiantEye transfers this approach to the scale required for vehicles and other large industrial objects. The technology is intended to make high-energy CT accessible for objects that cannot be practically uprighted or disassembled while retaining their original configuration during inspection.
With its combination of high-energy X-ray inspection, large-object capacity and original-position scanning, GiantEye represents an expansion of computed tomography for large-scale industrial non-destructive testing and metrology.
Reference: https://metrology.news/gianteye-advances-high-energy-ct-for-large-scale-industrial-metrology/
