Frequently Asked Questions

If you are interested in finding out more about what we can do to support your research, have a look at our application process here.

You can find out if you are eligible for our free beamtime access scheme here.

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are able to apply for free at the point of access funding for research work. For this the company must be an SME, as defined by UK Government and should not be owned (wholly or partially) by a larger company.

The work should constitute ‘fundamental research’ or a ‘feasibility study’, as defined by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), the parent body of EPSRC.

Manchester – the XCT lab is part of the Henry Moseley X-ray Imaging Facility (HMXIF), situated on the third floor of the Alan Turing Building at the University of Manchester (building no. 46 on campus map). The Digital Imaging Lab (DIL) is situated on the second floor of the Royce Building (building no. 126 on campus map). Map can be found here.

University College London – The NXCT facilities at University College London are located in the Advanced X-ray Imaging Group and the UCL Electrochemical Innovation Lab.

Southampton – The XRH facility is located in the University Hospital Southampton. They operate two scanning laboratories on Levels A and B of the Laboratory and Pathology / South Academic Block. Visitors are kindly requested to check in at the Biomedical Imaging Unit (BIU) except if they have been otherwise instructed by a team member.

The μ-VIS X-Ray Imaging Centre is based at Level 1 in Eustice Building (B5) on Highfield Campus. The main entrance is located at the rear of Eustice Building (B5). There is also a direct access to the facility through the main entrance of B5 (follow signs to μ-VIS X-Ray Imaging Centre).

Warwick – The NXCT facilities can be found at the Centre for Imaging, Metrology and Additive Technologies in the International Manufacturing Centre, Lord Bhattacharyya Way, University of Warwick, Coventry.

We also have affiliated XCT labs at Strathclyde University and University of Swansea.

This varies between facilities. Please use our Enquiry Form to ask for specific timings.

If we confirm a booking, you will have access to the equipment for 24 hours (usually 10am-10am). We do not offer an hourly rate.

Our bookings are made on a daily basis. Depending on equipment availability, we recommend booking at least three weeks in advance to secure your preferred time slot.

X-ray computed tomography is a characterisation technique that utilises X-ray beams to reveal the internal structure of the sample non-destructively, based on the difference of X-ray attenuation between materials.

This two-dimensional projectioncan be compiled using computer software to generate three-dimensional reconstructions of the sample. Thus, X-ray computed tomography provides structural information including sample density, as well as transverse and longitudinal morphology. All this information can be collected without destroying or opening the sample.

Key Applications

Industrial Inspection: Checking manufactured parts, electronics, and welds for internal defects, cracks, or structural flaws, without destruction of samples

Security Screening: Scanning luggage, cargo, or individuals at airports and borders to detect concealed items or contraband.

Scientific Research & Archaeology: Examining fossils, artifacts, soil composition, or internal biological structures without damaging the original specimen.

Material Science: Analysing composite materials, polymers, and metals for density variations and microscopic internal geometry.

You can look at our Case Studies for examples of some of the samples that we have scanned at NXCT.

What is the best magnification of my sample can I achieve?
Maximum magnification is dependant on the system used and also the physical size of your sample. As a rule of thumb, a sample 1-5 mm in diameter can achieve a 1-5 um pixel size, so scale your samples accordingly. (This varies by scanner, so check with a member of facility staff when preparing samples)

Can I scan living samples?
For lab-based CT scanning, the answer is usually no. There are some exceptions, such as plants and some insects, so please submit an enquiry to speak to a member of staff about this type of work.

Will X-ray CT damage my sample during scanning?
X-ray tomography is classified as a form of non-destructive testing and will not alter the majority of samples during testing. There are, however, some minor exceptions to consider such as samples which will be used after CT scanning for ancient-DNA (aDNA) measurements, or the issue of minor (and often reversable) discolouration to soda glass and transparent epoxy resins. Please submit an enquiry to speak to a member of staff if you have questions and concerns about the suitability of your samples for X-ray CT scanning.

Can I get quantitative measurements from X-ray CT scanning?
Yes, you can. CT images are scaled so that a pixel of a given size represents that given size in real space, i.e. if you have a feature that is 10 pixels wide, and each pixel represents 10 microns, the feature can be measured as being 100 microns wide. From this you can get other quantitative measures such as porosity, volume fractions, internal geometries, location, distribution and connectivity

Can I get chemical/elemental data from X-ray CT scanning?
Conventional CT scanning gives a 3D representation of the variation in X-ray attenuation within a sample. This can be correlated with other techniques, along with prior knowledge of your sample, to infer chemical/elemental composition. These regions of attenuation can be quantified and measured, so although the composition of the area is interpreted, quantitative measurement is still possible.

TBC.

If you publish anything related to the data you have acquired through the NXCT, please cite us as following: ‘This work was supported by the National Research Facility in Lab X-ray CT (NXCT) through the EPSRC grants UKRI3067 and EP/T02593X/1’. Please also consider co-authorship or acknowledging by name individuals who supported you during the project including NXCT staff, technical specialists, PhD students and post-doctorate researchers.