TomoScope® XS – a success story

Before 2017, compact CT machines were only available with reflection target tubes in a closed design. Their large focal spot limited the resolution and accuracy due to the geometric blurring. Although the machines were relatively inexpensive, they caused high maintenance costs. The limitation to acceptable focal spot sizes, which were only achieved when the machine was operated at very low power, led to long exposure and therefore measurement times. Standard-compliant specifications for assessing performance and for comparison with other devices were often lacking.
For large machines, transmission target tubes with tube voltages of up to 300 kV enabled high resolution and accuracy. However, they were expensive to purchase and maintain, and due to their size and weight, they were mainly used in laboratories specially designed for this purpose.

Werth received many inquiries from customers who found CT technology highly interesting, but could not economically justify the investment due to the high prices. This fact motivated the Werth development team to think in new orientations. The prerequisite for the introduction of a new, more cost-effective machine was the new tube design resulting from intensive development work. For the new TomoScope® XS, the tube, voltage generator and vacuum generation were combined in an open monoblock design. This design enables long maintenance intervals with a virtually unlimited service life, as spare and wear parts can be replaced during the annual maintenance of the device due to the open design. This results in low downtimes and low operating costs for the user. As the new machine is equipped with a transmission tube, the focal spot size remains low even at high tube power. This is an important benefit of the TomoScope® XS, which enables fast measurements with high resolution.
The new X-ray tube was combined with a compact and precise air bearing rotary axis and a fast detector. Small device dimensions and a specification of the length measurement error in the lower micrometer range were also crucial. Thanks to intelligent design solutions, the machine could be offered at around the same price level as conventional tactile or multisensor coordinate measuring machines.

With the TomoScope® XS, CT coordinate measuring machines were now affordable for everyone. The high demand could only be met by expanding production capacity.

About a year and a half after the introduction of the TomoScope® XS, it became apparent that some customers would like to benefit from the advantages of the machine in combination with a larger measuring range. The basic concept was therefore expanded and two additional axes were integrated into the machine. With the measuring range increased fourfold, the new TomoScope® XS Plus achieved what is still a unique ratio of size and weight to measuring volume.
The trend in the CT sector was also increasingly moving in the direction of measurements close to production. For the high cycle speeds, the measuring speed of the machines had to be further increased. Werth had already achieved this with the larger TomoScope® FQ machines for inline measurements, e.g. of aluminum die-cast workpieces. The machines are equipped with a high-performance macrofocus tube for fast measurements with high detector resolution. This principle was now to be transferred to a new compact device while adhering to even stricter cost specifications.

As a result, the new TomoScope® XS FOV was introduced in 2020 on the proven basis of the TomoScope® XS. The core of the device concept is a cost-effective X-ray tube with a maximum voltage of 130 kV and power of up to 100 W. This has probably created the most affordable CT coordinate measuring machine on the market, with a price that is often lower than that of conventional 3D coordinate measuring machines. The TomoScope® XS FOV is the best solution for all applications where the high resolution of the TomoScope® XS in the single-digit micrometer range is not absolutely necessary.

According to the market launch of the TomoScope® XS FOV, many requests also came from the application area of fast measurement close to production. For this purpose, the TomoScope® XS FOV 500 was equipped with a powerful tube in order to be able to quickly measure and analyze larger and denser workpieces.