Use and Repair of X-Rays in Industrial applications

1. Use of X-ray Machines in Industrial Applications

X-Ray machines are most popularly used as a diagnostic tool in medicine. The other most visible use of x-ray machines is in security and baggage scanning. X-ray machines are also extensively used in various Industrial Applications, especially for quality check without actually opening up or damaging the products in any way. Industrial X-Ray machines are mainly used as follows:

Non-Destructive Testing (NDT): Used to inspect manufactured parts to detect internal faults or foreign objects.
Materials Analysis: Used for checking different types of materials.

Food Contaminant Detection: Used to inspect food products for contaminants or foreign objects such as metal, glass, stone, and bone.
Electronics / Printed Circuit Board inspection

2. Components of X-ray Machines Used in NDT and other industrial applications

All X-ray systems have the same components whether used in medical, security or industrial applications, namely:

X-ray Tube
High Voltage Generator
Control Console for operator
Cooling System
Detector such as Flat Panel Detector or CR plates/cassettes or a Digital Radiography system
Display monitor

Radiation Shielding & Safety accessories such as Lead shields, cabinets, lead aprons, TLD badges, dosimeters etc. to protect operators are a must for any x-ray machine operation. The equipment must be type-approved and facility licensed by AERB in India.

Mechanical Setup differences

The industrial x-ray machines, however, differ from medical x-rays or Security X-rays in the following ways:

Mechanical set-up/ positioning systems – Depending on the size and volume of the objects to be scanned, the positioning system varies. E.g. in case of a medical x-ray machine a buckey table is used to position the patient, while in security baggage scanners the baggages are moved on a conveyor belt. In industrial x-ray usage depending on the study, tripods, manipulators, robotic arms, or crawler units may be used to position the X-ray source and objects.
Software for image processing – Image processing depends on what one is studying and what one is looking for. Medical imaging manipulation includes using contrast/dyes and multiple slices as in CT scan to build a 3D image, but all of it in grayscale. This is because different tissues in the body absorb different amounts of radiation. Bones in our body absorb most of the x-rays, hence the least amount of radiation through bones reaches the detector and the bones look white in the X-Ray image. Muscles, fat and other soft tissues absorb less and so appear gray. Cavities look darker. X-Ray will completely pass through air. This is the reason any fractures in the bones shows clearly black. This is the same way NDT to find cracks or cavities in the material are done. In case of baggage scanners, x-ray images obtained is manipulated using atomic number of the elements, colouring the images based on organic or inorganic and obtaining dual or 3D imaging. Material analysis also uses similar approach of translating the frequency of x-rays to atomic numbers of the material.
Radiation dosage levels – Radiation dosage required varies with the study and hence the mA and voltage specifications of the x-ray machines vary.

3. Common Repair & Maintenance Issues in Industrial X-ray Machines

Common repair and maintenance issues in X-ray machines involve tube failure, HV generator failure, cooling leaks, detector degradation, and cable/interlock problems.

X-ray Tube Failures – Cathode filament failure, tube arcing, anode failure, Glass housing cracks/oil leak, aging of the x-ray tube components, Rotor bearing failure etc. are some of the main problems likely with X-Ray tubes.
High Voltage Power Supply Problems – A large voltage spike caused due to tube arcing could result in damage of output components, such as capacitors and resistors and HV cable of an X-ray generator. Cable sockets at the junction of the HV Cables to the HV generator or the X-Ray tube end are other points of failure.
Other than the main components such as x-ray tube and HV generator, Cooling System, detector or console may have problems such faulty knobs etc. Mechanical systems could also have problems.

For key components of a medical x-ray and its working see https://www.primedeq.com/blog/how-does-an-x-ray-machine-work-what-are-the-main-components-of-an-x-ray-unit/

The technology behind the X-Ray source i.e. the X-Ray Tube is the same for medical applications. For more information on X-Ray machine repairs check out the following blogs:

X-Ray machine repair and main causes of failure

X-Ray tube repair & common causes of tube failure

X-Ray Tube Oil refilling

High Voltage X-Ray Generator failure and repair

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