Home / 3D-Scanning Services / What is a 3D CT scanner?

3D CT Scanner

The3D CT scanner (3D-Computed Tomography) creates the most accurate 3D scans. To 3D-scan an object, it is placed inside the 3D CT scanner on a rotary table. X-rays pass through the object and then hit a detector, where a 2D section image is created. Then the turn table rotates, and another X-ray image is generated. The final 3D scan is calculated from many hundreds of cross-sectional X-ray images.

The History of the 3D CT Scanner

“3D CT Scanner” is the abbreviation for Computed Tomography 3D Scanner, a system that uses X-rays to determine the exact size of objects in three-dimensional space.

The roots of this technology date back to the late 19th century. Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen discovered X-rays in 1895. Shortly afterward, X-rays were used in medical application sto X-ray an arm and locate a bone fracture, for example. The CT scanner itself, based on this medical application of X-rays, was invented by Godfrey Houndsfield in 1972.

CT scanners were converted for industrial purposes in the 2000s. Scientists discovered that CT scanners could not only capture 3D models of people but that the technology could also be used to X-ray mechanical parts. This was the birth of industrial computed tomography.

How Does Industrial Computed Tomography Work?

The object is placed on a turntable in the middle of the CT scanner. The X-ray tube emits X-rays that penetrate the object. A detector with a resolution of 2000px X 2000px receives the rays and creates a 2D X-ray section image.

Then the turntable is rotated minimally, and the scanner generates another X-ray image. A total of up to 1,300 images are taken of the object.

These 2D sectional images are then combined by the computer to form a 3D model. This process is called: “Creation of a volume graphic”.

Download Example CT 3D scan

We have provided a CT 3D scan for you to download. The 3D-scan data is available in STL format. You can view it, for example, with the free 3D Viewer Meshlab:

What else you need to know about
the 3D CT Scannner

The highest resolution. Of all 3D-scanning technologies on the market, 3D CT scanners offer, by far, the highest resolution.
Detects the smallest scratches. Even the smallest scratches on an object’s surface are detected by the 3D CT scanner and reproduced in the 3D model.
Accurate. Accuracies up to ≤0.005mm are achieved.

X-rays can only penetrate certain materials. We used a plastic test object—a relatively easy material for the X-rays to penetrate.
The denser the material, the more difficult it is for the CT scanner to create a 3D model. For example, there is an upper limit to the thickness of steel that can be x-rayed with a 3D CT scanner.
As for lead, it is almost impossible for X-rays to penetrate it. Therefore, the shielding of the CT scanner is made of thick lead plates that prevent X-rays from escaping.

The price of the 3D CT Scanner

The 3D CT Scanner is the most accurate and expensive 3D scanner. There are industrial CT scanners for a wide range of object sizes, but they are mostly used to 3D-scan very small objects.

Due to the increased number of 3D CT Scanners, the prices for 3D CT scanning have decreased, and a CT scan is often a viable option nowadays. Its high accuracy also simplifies reverse engineering.

Do you need a 3D CT Scan of your part?

Holocreators offers professional 3D-scanning and reverse engineering services.We offer you a 3D scan service with every existing 3D-scanning technique. If you require a3D CT scan, then please contact us.