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Introduction to Inline AXI Technology
September 2, 2014 |Estimated reading time: 1 minute
Since the initial discovery of X-rays on the eve of 20th century, the technology has become an important tool for non-destructive inspection of internal structure in non-transparent objects. Among the many applications that have been developed, by far the most common is simple transmission imaging, or radiography, which allows operators to view a shadow image of the inspected object’s internal structure from various angles by manipulating the position of the object.
Individual components of the inspected object absorb different portions of the emitted X-rays, forming a shadow image on the X-ray detector. Selective absorption of X-rays by different materials allows us to differentiate between solid bodies in an object. Dense items composed of heavier atoms--such as metals--can block a significant portion of incident X-rays and form clear shadow images. The amount of absorbed X-rays also depends on the thickness of the blocking objects, allowing us to determine the physical structure of the inspected target from its X-ray shadow.
Photographic film was initially used as a media to record X-ray images, but this is impractical in industrial settings. With the advance of scintillating materials that emit light when struck by ionizing radiation, it has become much easier to obtain instant high-resolution digital X-ray images using specialized CCD cameras that remove the need for additional photo-chemical processing.
The single obvious limitation of X-ray images is the inability to distinguish the spatial structure of overlapping objects. This shortcoming has been initially addressed by changing the orientation of the target object, but this requirement placed additional stress on the operator and may be completely impossible for large objects.
Fortunately, modern computers have allowed us to overcome this limitation by calculating 3D cross-sections of the target objects from a series of 2D X-ray images captured from different angles. In the next section, we will describe the three distinct 3D technologies that have found practical applications in industrial PCB production.Read the full article here.Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the August 2014 issue of SMT Magazine.