Industrial computed tomography has quietly become one of the most powerful tools in manufacturing. In a single scan, it sees straight through a part – capturing its outer form and every internal feature at once, without cutting, sectioning or destroying anything. 

But “industrial CT” is not one thing. Ask two engineers what a CT scanner is for and you may get two very different answers. One may talk about catching defects and porosity before parts reach the customer. The other may talk about measuring dimensions to a certified, traceable standard. Both are right – and that difference is the single most important thing to understand before you invest in CT. 

It’s why RX Solutions built two distinct families: the FAB Series and the Metrology Series. This post is the simple version of the whole story – what each one is really for, and how to work out which your parts need. 

The two questions CT answers 

Almost every CT application comes down to one of two questions: 

• “Is this part free of defects?” – a production question. You need to know, quickly and reliably, whether a component is free of defects: porosity, cracks, voids, inclusions, missing features, assembly errors. The priority is speed, consistency and keeping up with production. 

• “Is this part made to specification?” – a quality question. You need numbers you can trust and defend: wall thicknesses, internal geometry, deviations from CAD, full GD&T, all tied to a recognised standard so a customer or auditor accepts them without argument. 

The same underlying technology answers both – but each job calls for different priorities, setup and workflow. A system tuned for fast production inspection isn’t configured the same way as one delivering certified measurements. The two series capture that difference – and, depending on what you need, a single system can be configured to do both.

The FAB Series: inspection built for the production environment

The FAB Series is based on the existing line of scanners from RX Solutions but with specific upgrades to make the system useful in a production or factory environment robust enough for the shopfloor and fast enough to keep pace with output.

Traditional CT lives in a temperature-controlled lab, operated by a specialist. The FAB Series take the same imaging power and makes it practical in a working production environment. That means a few things matter above all else:

• Uptime. Sealed X-ray tubes, IP54 protection against dust and moisture, and continuous monitoring keep image quality stable, shift after shift, with minimal maintenance. 

• Automation and throughput. A robotised loading cell can hold 100s of parts –— load a batch, walk away, and return to a full set of results. High volumes, with very little operator time. 

• Simplicity. VisionAI delivers a consistent, objective go/no go on every part through an operator screen anyone on the shopfloor can use – no CT expertise required. Good inspection shouldn’t depend on who’s on shift. 

• Connectivity. Full traceability on every part, with native OPC UA links into your MES and Industry 4.0 systems, so results flow straight into your quality data. 

In short: the FAB Series answers “is this part good?” quickly, repeatably and at volume. 

The Metrology Series: measurement you can certify 

The Metrology Series answers the other question – and it answers it to a standard you can put your name to. 

A CT scanner that produces a 3D data is not automatically a measurement machine. What makes CT metrology-grade is a chain of engineering decisions that make its numbers trustworthy:

• Certification. The Metrology Series is certified to VDI/VDE 2630 – 13, the recognised standard for dimensional CT, with a defined Maximum Permissible Error (MPE) – a tested limit on how far a measurement can stray.
• Repeatability in hardware. Granite base with linear (glass-scale) encoders and backlash compensation on every axis as standard along with other geometry compensation algorithms, so the reported scale is the true position, scan after scan. 
• Thermal stability. The system holds ±0.5 °C within the cabinet, because even a fraction of a degree effects a measurement. Stable temperature means results are comparable across the day, the week and between systems. 
• Traceability and verification. Results tie back to certified reference artefacts and international standards (PTB, NIST, LNE), and a daily ball-bar check verifies the system is still measuring true before you rely on it. 

In short: the Metrology Series answers “exactly what are this part’s dimensions?” – with results you can repeat, compare and defend. 

Which one do you need? 

A simple way to decide: 

• If your priority is finding defects and keeping pace with production — porosity in castings, voids in welds, faults in electronics or additive parts – start with the FAB Series. 

• If your priority is certified, traceable dimensional measurement — first-article inspection, CAD-to-part comparison, internal geometry you can’t reach with a probe – start with the Metrology Series. 

And if the honest answer is “both”? That’s common, and it’s where the shared platform helps. The FAB and Metrology Series are built on the same RX Solutions EasyTom platform family, which scales from the compact EasyTom S through to the large-volume EasyTom XL. You can match the system to your parts and your priority without learning an entirely different technology for each job. 

Getting value from CT, not just buying it 

Choosing the right system is only half the picture. A CT scanner earns its place through the support around it – applications knowledge, training, and someone to call when a scan is tricky. 

As RX Solutions’ UK and Ireland partner and the sole authorised VGSTUDIO MAX training provider in the region, OR3D supports customers well beyond installation: applications support, certified software training, service, and benchmark scanning on your own parts. We call it “Beyond CT” – because the goal isn’t to sell you a machine, it’s to make sure it does the job you bought it for. 

See it on your own parts 

The clearest way to understand what industrial CT can do for you is to see it on a real component. Send us a part and we’ll scan it on the right system – FAB or Metrology – and walk you through exactly what the results tell you. 

Alternatively, you can download our new CT Brochure for more information on the FAB and Metrology series.

Over the coming weeks we’ll break down both series in more detail – what makes CT metrology-grade, how production inspection works in practice, and the applications where CT earns its keep. Follow OR3D CT to keep up with the series.