1 - Introduction to the Lumafield Neptune CT Scanner

Introduction to the Lumafield Neptune CT Scanner: Size, Installation, and Safety

Setting up a CT Scan with the Lumafield Neptune

Orienting and Fixturing Parts for CT Scanning

4 - Visualizing CT Scan Data with Voyager

5 - Custom Views and Regions of Interest

Creating Custom Views and Regions of Interest

6 - Using Linear and Radial Measurements with CT Scans

Using Linear and Radial Measurements with CT Scans

7 - Analyzing Porosity with CT

8 - Organizing and Sharing CT Analysis Data

Learn how to get started with X-ray computed tomography using Lumafield's Neptune CT scanner and Voyager analysis software

CT 101: Introduction to Computed Tomography with Lumafield

Multi-Jet Fusion (MJF) is a 3D printing process developed by HP that uses inkjet heads to selectively apply a fusing agent to plastic powder. MJF parts resemble SLS prints, and the process has become popular because it produces strong, functional parts at high volume with cost-effective operation.

Like all 3D printing processes, MJF requires specialized design knowledge and careful post-processing to achieve optimal results. An industrial CT scanner can quickly pinpoint invisible problems that can lead to part failure.

Internal features can trap unfused powder, requiring design revisions or painstaking manual post-processing. This trapped powder is outwardly invisible, but easy to find with a CT scanner.

The MJF process offers excellent thermal control during printing, resulting in parts with low porosity and good surface finish. Here our CT scan shows a generally high-quality surface finish with a slight uniform roughness.

Thermal printing processes can introduce warping and other dimensional problems. This part turned out well, however; the Lumafield logo is sharp, and even the fine internal channel stays close to its 1 mm nominal diameter throughout its length.

Create a Lumafield Voyager account to explore this CT scan of an MJF print in your browser.

Inspecting an MJF 3D printed part with a CT scanner

Stereolithography (SLA) was patented in 1986 and became the first commercial 3D printing technology. SLA 3D printers use an ultraviolet laser to cure liquid polymer resin into solid parts, layer by layer.

SLA printing offers excellent surface finish and detail, but like every 3D printing process, it requires some specialized knowledge to achieve best results. An industrial CT scanner can quickly find common flaws in SLA 3D prints, including some that are outwardly invisible.

Many parts require support structures when they're fabricated on an SLA 3D printer. These supports stabilize the part and brace overhanging areas during printing, and they're removed and discarded during post-processing.

Small supports in internal features are easy to miss during post-processing, but they're easy to detect with a CT scan.

Supports can leave visual marks on printed parts. Parts are usually oriented during printing to keep supports away from critical surfaces, but sometimes they're unavoidable. In this case support marks may need to be polished away during post-processing.

The process of removing supports can involve significant force, introducing small cracks in the part and breaking details.

After printing with an SLA printer, parts are rinsed in a solvent to remove uncured resin, then flooded with UV light to fully cure the part. Removing uncured resin from fine internal details can be a painstaking manual process, and any resin left on or in the part will be cured during the final post-curing step.

In this case, uncured resin was not completely flushed out of the internal channel during the rinse stage, leaving it to narrow the channel in some areas and block it completely in others. The blockage is outwardly invisible, but easy to find with a CT scan.

Create a free Lumafield Voyager account to explore this CT scan of an SLA 3D printed part.

Inspecting SLA 3D printed parts with CT scans

Industrial CT is an essential tool in medical device development. It accelerates new product introduction by pinpointing design issues before they become major problems, and in production manufacturing it identifies critical defects that would otherwise be invisible.

Join us to learn what industrial CT reveals about product development—and how industrial CT can help your product development process.

Medical devices like inhalers and epinephrine autoinjectors are marvels of engineering and precision manufacturing. Produced by the millions, they're able to administer a precise dose of medication at a moment's notice, during a medical crisis with minimal user training.

We've featured these devices on Scan of the Month; now we're going deeper on their design logic in this free webinar. Join Scott Johnston to trace the design evolution and manufacturing details in these devices using visualizations and insights gained from industrial CT scans:

To view these scans, just click the links above and create a free Lumafield Voyager account when prompted.

Webinar: Exploring medical devices with industrial CT

	1.1 Products. Subject to the terms of this Agreement, Company will use commercially reasonable efforts to provide Client with access to Company’s proprietary CT inspection system composed of hardware and software to provision computed tomography scanning, reconstruction, and viewing and analysis of volumetric data  (collectively, the “Company Products”).

		(i) Installation.  Company shall Install at Client’s designated location(s) set forth in the Order Form, the hardware necessary to operate the Company Products (the “Consigned Hardware") during the Term of the Agreement.  Company shall work with Client to install the Company Products at such designated location(s).  Client shall provide reasonable assistance in connection with such installation, including space allocation. 

		(i) Use of Consigned Hardware.  Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, Company shall at all times retain title to the Consigned Hardware while in the possession of Client and risk of loss of the Consigned Hardware will transfer to Client upon delivery to the designated location(s) and will transfer back to Company when delivered to Company upon the expiration or termination of this Agreement in accordance with Section 5.2.  During the Term, Client shall not remove the Consigned Hardware from the designated location without the prior written consent of Company, shall keep the Consigned Hardware in substantially the same condition as it was provided to Client (normal wear and tear in connection with use of such Consigned Hardware in accordance with this Agreement excepted), and shall be responsible for any damage to such Consigned Hardware while in the possession of Client (except to the extent caused by the performance by Company of the Service in accordance with Section 1.4 below). The Company may, from time to time during the Term at its discretion, replace or substitute the Consigned Hardware with a unit that has substantially similar or upgraded features and functionality. Company shall coordinate the timing of such replacement or upgrade with Client and any such replacement or upgrade shall be at no additional cost to Client.

		(i) Licenses.  Subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement, Company grants to Client a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, non-sublicensable right, during the Term, to (a) access and use the software that is installed on the Consigned Hardware and (b) access and use the software made available to Client which is hosted by Company and accessed through Company’s web applications (collectively, the “Company Software”), in each case (1) solely in connection with Client’s use of the Consigned Hardware and (2) solely in accordance with the installation guides, manuals and other documentation made available to Client by Company for use of the Company Products (the “Documentation”). 

		(ii) Restrictions.  Client may not (a) make any part of the Company Software or Client’s logon credentials accessible to anyone other than employees of the Client who are authorized to use the Products and who have been authorized by Company (“Authorized Users”); (b) permit any Authorized Users to use the Company Software except in accordance with the terms of this Agreement; (c) attempt to reverse engineer, decompile, disassemble, or extract any element of and/or otherwise discover any source code, algorithms, methods, or techniques embodied in the Company Software, except to the extent expressly permitted by applicable law, notwithstanding contractual obligations to the contrary, and then only after (1) Client has notified Company in writing of its intended activities and the information sought and (2) Company fails to provide such information within a reasonable period of time following such notice; (d) modify, transfer, assign, pledge, rent, lease, sell, resell, or create derivative works based on the Company Software or any user interfaces related to the foregoing; (e) hide, tamper, amend, alter, obscure, remove or destroy any proprietary markings or proprietary legends placed upon or contained within the Company Software or any related materials, or any Documentation; (f) introduce code or other items to the Company Software, in a manner that adversely affects the operation of the Company Products, Company Software or other systems; or (g) use the Company Software or Company Products in violation of this Agreement, the Documentation, or applicable law.  Although Company has no obligation to monitor Client’s use of the Services, Company may do so and may prohibit any use of the Services it believes may be (or alleged to be) in violation of the foregoing.

		(i) Installation and Validation. Company will send staff or agents to provide on-site installation and set-up of the Company Products, conduct a safety survey, and calibrate the Company Products prior to Client’s use of the Company Products.   

		(ii) Training.  Company will provide on-site or remote training for Client employees with respect to the utilization of the Company Products including acquiring, reconstructing and analyzing computed tomography scans.

		(iii) Support.  Company will provide email support services through a designated email address provided by Company.  Emails may be submitted at any time and Company will use commercially reasonable efforts to respond to such emails within one (1) business day after receipt.  Additionally, if a support question or issue cannot be resolved by email, Company will make support personnel available via video conference to provide support. 

		(iv) Maintenance. Company will provide maintenance services to keep the Company Products in good working condition throughout the Service Term. See section 6.1 Limited Warranty for additional information. 

		(v) On-site Repairs and Scan Coverage. In the case of a malfunction that cannot be repaired remotely, Company will repair the Company Product/s on-site at its sole expense. Company will use commercially reasonable efforts to send a technician to the Company Products’ designated location as soon as possible, but in any case no later than 10 business days from Client’s notification of the malfunction. While Client is waiting for the Company Products to be repaired, Client may use Company’s service center to scan its parts at no additional cost. Client will cover roundtrip shipping costs related with shipping the parts to and from Company’s service center.

(all service described in this Section 1.4, collectively, the “Services”).

	2.1 Export Restrictions.  Client may not remove or export from the United States or allow the export or re-export of the Company Products and Company Software or anything related thereto, or any direct product thereof in violation of any restrictions, laws or regulations of the United States Department of Commerce, the United States Department of Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control, or any other United States or foreign agency or authority.  As defined in FAR section 2.101, the Software and documentation are “commercial items” and according to DFAR section 252.2277014(a)(1) and (5) are deemed to be “commercial computer software” and “commercial computer software documentation.”  Consistent with DFAR section 227.7202 and FAR section 12.212, any use modification, reproduction, release, performance, display, or disclosure of such commercial software or commercial software documentation by the U.S. Government will be governed solely by the terms of this Agreement and will be prohibited except to the extent expressly permitted by the terms of this Agreement.  

	2.2 Use of Company Products.  Client represents, covenants, and warrants that Client will use the Company Products only in compliance with the terms of this Agreement, the then-current Documentation, and all applicable laws and regulations. 

	2.3 Ancillary Equipment.  Client shall be responsible for obtaining and maintaining any equipment and ancillary services needed to connect to, access or otherwise use the Company Products and Company Software, including, without limitation, modems, hardware, servers, software, operating systems, networking, web servers and the like (collectively, “Ancillary Equipment”).  Client shall also be responsible for maintaining the security of the Company Products, Company Software, and Ancillary Equipment.

	2.4 Account Credentials.  Client acknowledges and agrees that, if the necessary functionality is made available as part of the Company Software and/or Company Products, Client shall require each Authorized User to create a user account, including a user name and password, or other logon credentials (collectively, “Logon Credentials”) to access and use the Company Software and Company Products. Each Authorized User is solely responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of his or her Logon Credentials and for all activities on Company Software and Company Products that occur through the use of such Logon Credentials.

	3.1 Confidential Information.  Each party (the “Receiving Party”) understands that the other party (the “Disclosing Party”) has disclosed or may disclose proprietary or non-public information relating to the Disclosing Party’s business, products, services, customers, financials and other information which is marked confidential or should reasonably be understood to be confidential based on the nature of the information (hereinafter referred to as “Proprietary Information” of the Disclosing Party).  Proprietary Information of Company includes non-public information regarding features, functionality and performance of the Services, Company Products and Company Software including the source and object code thereto, and any processes, algorithms, methods, and related know-how and residual knowledge developed, created or used by Company or its agents in connection with the performance of the Services, and provision of the Company Products and Company Software.  Proprietary Information of Client includes non-public data provided by Client to Company to enable the provision of the Services (“Client Data”).  Proprietary Information shall not include data or information which (i) was in the public domain at the time it was disclosed or falls within the public domain, except through the fault of the Receiving Party; (ii) was known to the receiving party at the time of disclosure without an obligation of confidentiality, as evidenced by the Receiving Party's written records; (iii) is disclosed after written approval of the Disclosing Party; (iv) becomes known to the Receiving Party from a source other than the Disclosing Party without an obligation of confidentiality; or (v) is developed by the Receiving Party independently of the Disclosing Party’s Proprietary Information as demonstrated by written records.

	3.2 Use and Disclosure of Confidential Information.  Each party agrees to protect the other party’s Proprietary Information in the same manner that it protects its own Proprietary Information of a similar nature but in no event less than a reasonable standard of care.  Neither party shall (i) disclose to any unaffiliated third party any Proprietary Information; or (ii) use the Proprietary Information for any purpose other than that indicated in this Agreement without the Disclosing Party’s prior written approval. The Receiving Party agrees to notify the Disclosing Party promptly of any unauthorized disclosure of Proprietary Information and to assist the Receiving Party in remedying any such unauthorized disclosure.  The Receiving Party agrees that all persons having access to the Proprietary Information under this Agreement will abide by the obligations set forth in this Agreement.  Nothing in this Agreement shall be construed to restrict the parties from disclosing Proprietary Information as required by law or court order or other governmental order or request, provided in each case the party requested to make such disclosure shall timely inform the other party and use all reasonable efforts to limit the disclosure and maintain the confidentiality of such Proprietary Information to the extent possible.  In addition, the party required to make such disclosure shall permit the other party to attempt to limit such disclosure by appropriate legal means.  All Proprietary Information disclosed hereunder shall remain the sole property of the Disclosing Party and the Receiving Party shall have no interest in or rights with respect thereto except as expressly set forth in this Agreement.   

	3.3 Survival. The provisions in this Section 3 shall survive for five (5) years after termination or expiration of this Agreement, except that with respect to any Proprietary Information that constitutes a trade secret as defined under applicable law, the Receiving Party will continue to be bound by its obligations under this Section 3 for so long as such information continues to be eligible for trade secret protection under applicable law, but in no event for a period of less than the five (5) year period specified immediately above.

		(i) Client Data.  Client shall own all right, title and interest in and to the Client Data.  Notwithstanding anything to the contrary, Company shall have the right collect and analyze data and other information relating to the provision, use and performance of various aspects of the Services, Company Products and Company Software and related systems and technologies (including, without limitation, information concerning Client Data and data derived therefrom), and  Company will be free (during and after the Term hereof and after) to (a) use such information and data to improve and enhance the Services, Company Products and Company Software and for other development, diagnostic and corrective purposes in connection with the Services, Company Products, Company Hardware and other Company offerings, and (b) disclose such data solely in aggregate or other de-identified form in connection with its business.  No rights or licenses are granted except as expressly set forth herein.  

		(ii) Company Products and Company Software.  As between the parties, Company retains all rights, title, and interest (including all intellectual property rights and other rights) in and to the Services, the Company Products and the Company Software, including any updates of any of the foregoing, and except for the licenses set forth herein, no other rights, title or licenses in or to any intellectual property of the Company, whether express or implied, is granted or conveyed under this Agreement.  

		(iii) Feedback.  If Client elects to provide any feedback or comments to Company related to the Services, Company Products or Company Software (“Feedback”), all Feedback shall be the sole and exclusive property of Company, and Company shall have the right to use and disclose such Feedback in any manner and for any purpose in Company’s discretion without remuneration, compensation or attribution, provided that Company is under no obligation to use such Feedback.

	4.1 Fees.  Client will pay Company the then applicable fees described in the Order Form in accordance with the terms therein (the “Fees”). If Client’s use of the Services, Company Products or Company Software exceeds the capacity set forth on the Order Form or otherwise requires the payment of additional fees (per the terms of this Agreement), Client shall be billed for such usage and Client agrees to pay the additional fees in the manner provided herein. Company reserves the right to change the Fees or applicable charges and to institute new charges and Fees at the end of the Initial Term or then current Renewal Term, upon thirty (30) days prior notice to Client (which may be sent by email). If Client in good faith believes that Company has billed Client incorrectly, Client must contact Company no later than sixty (60) days after the closing date on the first billing statement in which the error or problem appeared, in order to receive an adjustment or credit.  Inquiries should be directed to Company’s Client support department.

	4.2 Payment.  Company may choose to bill through an invoice, in which case, full payment for invoices issued in any given month must be received by Company thirty (30) days after the mailing date of the invoice.  Unpaid amounts are subject to a finance charge of 1.5% per month on any outstanding balance, or the maximum permitted by law, whichever is lower, plus all expenses of collection and may result in immediate suspension or termination of Service. 

	4.3 Taxes.  Unless otherwise stated, the Fees do not include any taxes, levies, duties or similar governmental assessments of any nature, including but not limited to value-added, sales, use, or withholding taxes, assessable by any local, state, provincial, federal, or foreign jurisdiction (collectively, “Taxes”).  Client is responsible for paying all Taxes associated with its purchase of Services, Company Products and Company Software hereunder.  If Company has the legal obligation to pay or collect Taxes for which Client is responsible under this paragraph, the appropriate amount shall be invoiced to and paid by Client, unless Client provides Company with a valid tax exemption certificate authorized by the appropriate taxing authority.  For clarity, Company is solely responsible for taxes assessable against it based on Company’s income, property, and employees.

	5.1 Term.  Subject to earlier termination as provided below, this Agreement is for the Initial Term as specified in the Order Form, and shall be automatically renewed for additional periods of the same duration as the Initial Service Term (each, a Renewal Term and collectively, the “Term”), unless either party requests termination at least thirty (30) days prior to the end of the then-current Term.

	5.2 Termination.  In addition to any other remedies it may have, either party may also terminate this Agreement upon thirty (30) days’ notice (or without notice in the case of nonpayment), if the other party materially breaches any of the terms or conditions of this Agreement.  

	5.3 Effect of Termination.  In the event of any termination or expiration of this Agreement, Client will pay in full for all Services and use of the Company Software and Company Products up to and including the last day on which such are provided. Upon any termination, Company will make all Client Data available to Client for electronic retrieval for a period of thirty (30) days, but thereafter Company may, but is not obligated to, delete stored Client Data.  Client must promptly return the Consigned Equipment in accordance with the instructions of Company. 

	5.4 Survival.  All sections of this Agreement which by their nature should survive termination will survive termination, including, without limitation, accrued rights to payment, confidentiality obligations, intellectual property rights, warranty disclaimers, and limitations of liability.

	6.1 Limited Warranty.  During the Term, Company warrants that the Company Products and Company Software will function substantially in accordance with its written specifications and Documentation.  In the event of a breach of Company’s warranty in this Section 6.1, Company agrees to use commercially reasonable efforts to cause the Company Products and/or Company Software to function in substantial accordance with its specifications and Documentation.  If Company notifies Client that it is unable to remedy any material breach of this warranty, Client or Company shall have the right to terminate the Agreement and, upon such termination, Company will refund to Client a pro rata portion of any Fees Client prepaid for based on the remaining unused portion of the Term.  For any breach of the warranty above, Client’s sole and exclusive remedy, and Company’s sole liability shall be as provided in this Section 6.1.

	6.2 Disclaimer.  EXCEPT AS OTHERWISE EXPRESSLY SET FORTH IN SECTION 6.1, THE COMPANY SERVICE AND SERVICES PROVIDED HEREUNDER (INCLUDING ANY SERVICES PROVIDED UNDER ANY SCHEDULES OR ADDENDUMS TO THE AGREEMENT) ARE PROVIDED “AS IS”, “AS-AVAILABLE”, WITH ALL FAULTS, AND COMPANY MAKES NO WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, WHETHER EXPRESS, IMPLIED, STATUTORY OR OTHERWISE, AND SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIMS ALL IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES AND/OR CONDITIONS OF MERCHANTABILITY, OF SATISFACTORY QUALITY, OF FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, OF ACCURACY AND NON-INFRINGEMENT OF THIRD PARTY RIGHTS, AND ANY WARRANTIES THAT MAY ARISE FROM COURSE OF DEALING, COURSE OF PERFORMANCE OR USAGE OF TRADE.  NO ORAL OR WRITTEN INFORMATION OR ADVICE GIVEN BY COMPANY OR ITS REPRESENTATIVES SHALL CREATE A WARRANTY.  EXCEPT AS OTHERWISE EXPRESSLY SET FORTH IN SECTION 6.1, CLIENT’S USE OF THE SERVICES, COMPANY PRODUCTS AND COMPANY SOFTWARE IS ENTIRELY AT CLIENT’S OWN RISK AND THE ENTIRE RISK AS TO SATISFACTORY QUALITY, PERFORMANCE, ACCURACY AND EFFORT IS WITH CLIENT.  SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OF IMPLIED WARRANTIES OR LIMITATIONS ON APPLICABLE STATUTORY RIGHTS OF A CONSUMER, SO THE ABOVE EXCLUSION AND LIMITATIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO CLIENT.

	7.1 Indemnification by Company.  Company hereby agrees to indemnify and hold harmless Company against any damages, losses, liabilities, settlements and expenses (including without limitation costs and attorneys’ fees) in connection with any third party claim or action alleging that the Company Products and Company Software infringes any United States patent or any copyright or misappropriation of any trade secret, provided that Company is promptly notified of any and all threats, claims and proceedings related thereto and given reasonable assistance and the opportunity to assume sole control over defense and settlement.  Company will not be responsible for any settlement it does not approve in writing.  The foregoing obligations do not apply with respect to portions or components of the Company Products and Company Software (i) not supplied by Company, (ii) made in whole or in part in accordance with Client specifications, (iii) that are modified after delivery by Company, (iv) combined with other products, processes or materials where the alleged infringement relates to such combination, (v) where Client continues allegedly infringing activity after being notified thereof or after being informed of modifications that would have avoided the alleged infringement, or (vi) where Client’s use of the Company Products and Company Software is not strictly in accordance with this Agreement.  If, due to a claim of infringement, the Company Products or Company Software are held by a court of competent jurisdiction to be or are believed by Company to be infringing, Company may, at its option and expense (a) replace or modify the Company Product or Company Software to be non-infringing provided that such modification or replacement contains substantially similar features and functionality, (b) obtain for Client a license to continue using the Company Product and/or Company Software, or (c) if neither of the foregoing is commercially practicable, terminate this Agreement and Client’s rights hereunder and provide Client a refund of any prepaid, unused fees.

	7.2 Indemnification by Client.  Client hereby agrees to indemnify and hold harmless Company against any damages, losses, liabilities, settlements and expenses (including without limitation costs and attorneys’ fees) in connection with any claim or action that arises from (i) an alleged violation of applicable law or regulation in connection with this Agreement and/or (ii) Client’s use of Services, Company Products or Company Software in violation of this Agreement, provided that Client is promptly notified of any and all threats, claims and proceedings related thereto and given reasonable assistance and the opportunity to assume sole control over defense and settlement.  Client will not be responsible for any settlement it does not approve in writing.

EXCEPT TO THE EXTENT THE FOLLOWING LIMITATION OF LIABILITY IS PROHIBITED BY LAW, COMPANY’S TOTAL LIABILITY TO CLIENT SHALL BE LIMITED TO DIRECT DAMAGES SUSTAINED BY CLIENT UP TO A MAXIMUM AMOUNT OF THE FEES PAID BY CLIENT TO COMPANY UNDER THIS AGREEMENT FOR THE TWELVE (12) MONTHS PRIOR TO THE ACTION GIVING RISE TO SUCH LIABILITY; PROVIDED THAT, REGARDLESS OF ANY STATUTE OR LAW, NO CLAIM OR CAUSE OF ACTION, REGARDLESS OF FORM, ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THIS AGREEMENT MAY BE BROUGHT BY CLIENT MORE THAN TWELVE (12) MONTHS AFTER THE FACTS GIVING RISE TO THE CAUSE OF ACTION HAVE OCCURRED, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER THOSE FACTS BY THAT TIME ARE KNOWN TO, OR REASONABLY OUGHT TO HAVE BEEN DISCOVERED BY CLIENT; FURTHERMORE, NEITHER COMPANY NOR ANY OF ITS SUPPLIERS OR LICENSORS SHALL BE LIABLE TO CLIENT FOR PERSONAL INJURY, OR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, PUNITIVE, OR OTHER DAMAGES (INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION DAMAGES FOR LOSS OR INTERRUPTION OF BUSINESS, LOSS OF DATA, LOSS OF GOODWILL OR LOST PROFITS), UNDER ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION CONTRACT, NEGLIGENCE, STRICT LIABILITY, OR OTHER THEORY ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING IN ANY WAY TO THIS AGREEMENT EVEN IF COMPANY HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE RISK OF SUCH DAMAGES.  SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW THE LIMITATION OF LIABILITY FOR PERSONAL INJURY, OR OF INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, SO THIS LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY TO CLIENT.  THE FOREGOING LIMITATIONS WILL APPLY EVEN IF THE ABOVE STATED REMEDY FAILS OF ITS ESSENTIAL PURPOSE.  THE PARTIES ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THE LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY IN THIS SECTION 8 AND IN THE OTHER PROVISIONS OF THIS AGREEMENT AND THE ALLOCATION OF RISK HEREIN ARE ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS OF THE BARGAIN BETWEEN THE PARTIES, WITHOUT WHICH COMPANY WOULD NOT HAVE ENTERED INTO THIS AGREEMENT. 

	9.1 Governing Law. This Agreement and all matters arising out of or relating to this Agreement shall be governed by the internal laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts without giving effect to any conflict of laws provisions.  This Agreement shall not be governed by the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sales of Goods, the application of which is expressly excluded.  Each party hereby irrevocably consents to the exclusive jurisdiction and venue of the state and federal courts located in Boston, Massachusetts in connection with any claim, action, suit, or proceeding relating to this Agreement, except that either party may seek injunctive, equitable or similar relief from any court of competent jurisdiction.   

	9.2 Severability and Waiver.  If any provision of this Agreement is held to be illegal, invalid, or otherwise unenforceable, such provision will be enforced to the extent possible consistent with the stated intention of the parties, or, if incapable of such enforcement, will be deemed to be severed and deleted from this Agreement, while the remainder of this Agreement will continue in full force and effect. The waiver by either party of any default or breach of this Agreement will not constitute a waiver of any other or subsequent default or breach.

	9.3 Assignment.  Client may not assign, sell, transfer, delegate, or otherwise dispose of, whether voluntarily or involuntarily, by operation of law or otherwise, this Agreement or any rights or obligations under this Agreement without the prior written consent of Company which may be withheld at Company’s discretion.  Any purported assignment, transfer or delegation by Client shall be null and void.  Company shall have the right to assign Agreement without Client’s consent and without prior notice to Client.  Subject to the foregoing, this Agreement shall be binding upon and shall inure to the benefit of the parties and their respective successors and assigns.

	9.4 Independent Contractor.  Company’s relationship with Client will be that of an independent contractor.  It is agreed and understood that neither party is the agent, representative, nor partner of the other and neither party has any authority or power to bind or contract in the name of or to create any liability against the other in any way or for any purpose pursuant to this Agreement.  Nothing contained in this Agreement shall be construed to give either party the power to direct and control the day-to-day activities of the other, constitute the parties as partners, joint venturers, principal and agent, employer and employee, co-owners, or otherwise as participants in a joint undertaking, or allow either party to create or assume any obligation on behalf of the other party for any purpose whatsoever.

	9.5 Entire Agreement.  The Agreement is the final, complete, and exclusive agreement of the Parties with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersedes all prior or contemporaneous communications and understandings between the Parties including, without limitation, any prior purchase orders or requests for proposals.

	9.6 Notices.  All notices under this Agreement will be in writing to the addresses listed above and will be deemed to have been duly given when received, if personally delivered; when receipt is electronically confirmed, if transmitted by facsimile or e-mail; the day after it is sent, if sent for next day delivery by recognized overnight delivery service; and upon receipt, if sent by certified or registered mail, return receipt requested.  

	9.7 Force Majeure.  Company shall have any liability or responsibility for failure to fulfill any obligation under this Agreement so long as and to the extent to which the fulfillment of such obligation is prevented, frustrated, hindered or delayed as a consequence of circumstances of acts of God or any other cause beyond its reasonable control, including strikes, riots, acts of war, epidemics, pandemics, material shortages, restricting legislation, embargo, blockage, work stoppage or major outage of a public communications carrier.  

	9.8 Amendment.  This Agreement may not be amended or modified except (i) by an instrument in writing signed by, or on behalf of, each party hereto, or (b) by a waiver in accordance with Section 9.2.  

	9.9 Counterparts.  This Agreement may be executed and delivered (including by facsimile transmission or electronic mail in portable document format) in one or more counterparts, and by the different parties hereto in separate counterparts, each of which when executed shall be deemed to be an original, but all of which taken together shall constitute one and the same agreement.

Selective laser sintering (SLS) is a 3D printing process that builds strong, functional parts out of plastic powder. SLS printers distribute a thin layer of powder (usually Nylon) across the build volume, melt specific areas with a laser, spread another layer above, and repeat the process until the model is complete.

SLS is ideal for production-scale additive manufacturing. Parts are supported by unfused powder during printing, so they don't require support structures and many parts can be stacked into a single build volume. And because Nylon is a familiar, high-performance thermoplastic, engineers are able to substitute SLS prints for conventional parts with a relatively high degree of confidence.

However, SLS can introduce flaws that make parts unsuitable. Industrial X-ray CT scanners can quickly find these issues.

SLS printers build parts by sintering Nylon powder layer-by-layer. Errors in this process can result in unsolidified areas of the part that may be invisible, leading to unexpected part failure.

Accuracy and resolution are key considerations in additive manufacturing, and fine interior features are especially difficult to print accurately. In this part, a 1 mm channel starts close to nominal at the surface, but inside the part it narrows to 0.25 mm. Internal problems like this are indetectable with visual inspections, making industrial CT an important companion technology to 3D printing.

An important advantage of 3D printing is the ability to form complex internal features that can't be molded or machined, like microfluidic channels. However, these internal features require careful post-processing, often including significant manual work, to clear trapped powder. Incomplete post-processing may lead to functional failure.

Here, a CT scan reveals unfused powder blocking an internal channel. In a production environment, this print would need to be returned for additional post-processing or scrapped altogether.

Create a free Lumafield Voyager account to explore this scan in your web browser.

Explore this CT scan of an SLS 3D printed bracket

Inspecting SLS 3D printed parts with industrial CT

DMLS, or direct metal laser sintering, is a 3D printing process that builds metal parts by melting metal powder with a laser. It's similar to selective laser sintering, a polymer 3D printing process. DMLS printers allow engineers to create parts with complex geometries that would be difficult to cast or machine, but designing for DMLS is tricky, and these machines can introduce critical flaws that lead to part failure.

Industrial X-ray CT scanners are ideally suited to 3D printing workflows; they can quickly inspect both internal and external features and validate designs for production. Here we check for some common DMLS issues with a Lumafield Neptune CT scanner.

Powder-bed 3D printing processes like DMLS and SLS require post-processing to remove unfused powder from printed parts. In many cases, this post-processing requires painstaking manual work, and an invisible pocket of trapped powder could make a part unsuitable for its intended application.

Here, we notice a small amount of leftover powder that was not cleared during post-processing. In a production environment, this part might be returned for additional processing to remove the remaining powder, then re-scanned to ensure quality.

Thermal 3D printing processes can introduce warping and other problems with dimensional accuracy, especially on fine internal features that can't be inspected visually. In this case, our internal channel varies from its 1mm nominal diameter by as much as 13%.

Like casting and molding, thermal 3D printing processes can leave invisible pores and voids inside parts, increasing the probability of mechanical failure. Our CT scan confirms that this part is largely solid, but these 2D slices show a pore in the upper half of the bracket, close to where the channel starts.

Create a free Lumafield Voyager account to explore this CT scan in your web browser.

A deep dive into DMLS 3D printing with industrial CT

The Tested team visited Lumafield's San Francisco office to look inside some favorite objects with our Neptune industrial CT scanner. You can explore these scans as well! Just click through the links below and create a free Voyager account to view them in your web browser—no software installation required.

Curta Type I, a mechanical calculator that's an icon of analog engineering

Curta Type II, the second generation of the calculator with more digits

A Gundam figurine featuring intricate injection molding and lots of moving joints

Adam's aluminum foil ball, which he created in an earlier video. The scan reveals that it's much denser on the outside than at its core.

Curious about what you could see with an industrial CT scanner in your workshop? Read our case studies to learn how engineers at companies like L'Oréal and Trek Bicycle use Lumafield's technology to improve their products and fix manufacturing problems. When you're ready to try scanning, place a risk-free reservation for a Neptune scanner.

Want to learn how Lumafield can help your team? Contact us to set up a call with an industrial CT expert.

Explore the scans from Adam Savage's Tested

Fused deposition modeling (FDM) is one of the earliest forms of 3D printing. FDM printers use one or more heated nozzles to melt and extrude thermoplastic filament, depositing it layer by layer to form a part. FDM printers are common in a wide range of applications, from hobbyist workshops to heavy industry.

As with all 3D printing processes, getting the best results from FDM requires some specialized design knowledge and an understanding of its limitations. An industrial X-ray CT scanner can quickly pinpoint invisible features in FDM prints, including some that can cause failures.

In order to save time and material, operators often configure FDM printers to fill large volumes with a sparse pattern. Here our CT scan reveals a honeycomb lattice inside the solid walls of the part.

Cropping into our CT scan, we can see the unfused ends of the extruded beads deposited by the printer. Above the holes is evidence of insufficient support during printing: these layers are aesthetically rough, but they are also not fully adhered to each other, possibly creating a structural problem.

This part was designed with a smooth channel 1 mm in diameter. The FDM printer created a significantly narrower channel with a rough profile—a problem that's outwardly invisible, but could render the part useless.

Inspecting FDM 3D prints with industrial CT

The solutions to the 21st century’s biggest problems depend on manufacturing. 

In the coming decades we will see changes to the way we power our cities, the way we deliver medical care, the way we communicate, how we move from place to place, and countless other aspects of our lives. Revolutions in energy production, transportation, housing, communications, medical devices, and other important sectors all need one thing to make the leap from idea to reality: manufacturing. 

The engineers of the 1960s who designed and built Apollo capsules, Boeing 737s, Corvette Stingrays, and Telstar would be amazed by the tools that modern engineers have at their disposal today. Computed Aided Design (CAD), physics simulation software, advances in materials science, and manufacturing techniques have all taken gigantic leaps forward in the past several decades. We are able to make safer, less expensive, more efficient, and better performing products thanks to these advances. All of these breakthroughs are vitally important to solving our biggest problems. 

As engineering tools became more complex and sophisticated, so did the products that engineers designed and manufactured with them.  Assemblies have gotten smaller and more complex, manufacturing processes have grown more and more automated, and the requirements for product quality have grown more and more rigorous.  Yet while the tools for developing new products took great strides over the past half-century, the tools for understanding them have not.  Yesterday’s engineers used a pair of calipers and a bandsaw to understand the parts that they were manufacturing.  Today, engineers all over the world are still sawing products in half to discover, understand, and diagnose manufacturing problems.  

The founding team at Lumafield has struggled with this lack of manufacturing insight tools for our entire careers.

We’ve created medical devices, 3D printers, commercial LED lighting systems, batteries for electric vehicles, consumer devices and more. Every time we brought a new supplier online or tried a new material or tried a new design technology, we always had to ask ourselves:  is this part good?  We were surprised to find that there is no single way to answer that seemingly simple question.  That’s when we started thinking that there has got to be a better way to give engineers confidence when developing, introducing, and manufacturing products.  

Lumafield was started after a dinner where we talked about these shared frustrations. We asked ourselves: what would the world look like if we didn’t have to break things in order to understand them? What if you could understand changes in your manufacturing lines over time?  What would happen if every designer and manufacturer had the ability to see inside of the things they made and diagnose problems without wasted time, material, and effort? What if, by giving you a deeper understanding of your parts, we could truly close the loop between design and manufacturing?

Reimagining something as complex as manufacturing quality control would be an intimidating undertaking for a clean-sheet design. We didn’t have to do that at Lumafield because there’s already an amazing technology that makes it possible to see inside of anything, diagnose problems, and avoid destructive testing. That technology is called Computed Tomography (CT) scanning and it’s as close to magic as any engineering tool we’ve ever used. 

There’s just one problem with CT scanning. To use it today, you'd need about one million dollars to get a system in your lab or you'll be sending your precious parts to a specialized lab, waiting days to get a multi-gigabyte delivery of images selected by a technician unfamiliar with your design. Not exactly the kind of tool that every engineer can use each day. 

We started Lumafield to shine a new light on manufacturing and bring the missing dimension to product design and manufacturing. Before Lumafield, we were working on the next generation of design and fabrication technologies at places like Formlabs, Desktop Metal, and Autodesk. We saw firsthand the amazing things that engineers are capable of when you give them access to powerful but intuitive tools to supercharge their design processes. 

We built exactly what we set out to make with Neptune and Voyager.

With a starting price of less than $3,000 per month Neptune is the world’s first accessible CT scanner. We designed everything about Neptune to make it affordable, approachable, and intuitive so that every engineering team in the world can have one in their shop. Our team redesigned everything about CT scanning from first principles to achieve a combination of price and performance that has never existed with this technology before now. Neptune uses Artificial Intelligence to make it possible for anyone to run a CT scan without first becoming an expert in X-ray physics.  

Neptune is powered by Voyager, our groundbreaking browser-based CT scan analysis software. Instead of requiring our customers to purchase expensive and difficult to use desktop software, we built Voyager to run in the browser so that it can be used on any computer, anywhere in the world. You can inspect, measure, slice, dice, and understand your parts however you want using Voyager’s intuitive and versatile interface. Share the discoveries you make with other people on your team, in your supply chain, or across your manufacturing ecosystem with real time comments directly on the scan. 

We’ve tried to stay under the radar as we’ve developed all of this amazing technology. We did so because we wanted to be able to focus on the hard parts of the challenge first. Our team has an allergic reaction to hype. We didn’t wait until we had built the first working scanner to announce our work—we waited until we had shipped multiple revisions of our products to dozens of paying customers. Our systems work and you can read more about how they are changing engineering for some of our customers over on our customer story page. 

Do you want to work at the intersection of humanity’s hardest problems, fundamental physics, hardware, and software?

None of this would have been possible without the amazing team here at Lumafield. We are not ashamed to say that we have the best team in the world working on manufacturing insights. Our team includes PhDs from top universities, founders of successful hardware companies, alumni of some of the most valuable software companies in the world, and zero egos. Nothing is more exciting and rewarding than working hard on difficult and meaningful problems with incredible people. 

Are you interested in what we're building?  Get access to the technology by reserving a scanner now or join our team by visiting the careers page.

Even though we have covered a lot of ground already we are just getting started. We get out of bed each morning and fire up our computers because we want to transform the way that humanity solves manufacturing problems. Nothing excites us more than hearing about how our systems saved months of engineering time, helped a new process move through qualification with less waste, or empowered a company to bring a new technology to the world because of our work. The beautiful thing about building a tool is discovering all the ways it will be used in the hands of truly creative people.

The solutions to humanity’s hardest problems depend on manufacturing. Getting manufacturing right means solving those problems faster and more efficiently. Lumafield is here to make it possible for humanity to solve our hardest problems as quickly as possible. 

Andreas Bastian
Kevin Cedrone
Ric Fulop 
Scott Johnston
Eduardo Torrealba

Additive manufacturing has become ubiquitous in prototyping and one-off manufacturing, and it's increasingly used in large-scale production. 3D printing offers low tooling costs and quick turnarounds, as well as design freedom that lets engineers produce complex parts that can't be molded or machined.

It can be challenging to use additive manufacturing in serial production, however. Each 3D printing process has its own balance of advantages and disadvantages and requires specialized design knowledge to get the best possible results. Variation within batches tends to be a serious challenge, whether from the printing process itself or from manual post-processing.

That means careful inspection is critical when additive manufacturing is used in production. Industrial CT scanning is an ideal counterpart to 3D printing: it can quickly pinpoint invisible defects like trapped powder, closed channels, and internal voids and pores, and it's accurate enough to characterize dimensional outcomes and surface quality. CT scanners can also generate detailed models of existing parts and export them for 3D printing, giving manufacturers unprecedented control of their supply chains.

In this series we describe common 3D printing processes and their typical defects as found with a Lumafield Neptune industrial CT scanner. Visit the articles below to begin exploring.

Explore how Lumafield's industrial CT platform can help your team. Schedule a call with a CT expert.

Inspecting 3D printed parts with industrial X-ray CT

Industrial CT gives engineers the power to look inside mechanical assemblies, helping them identify and fix a wide variety of problems that would otherwise be hidden.

Compared to conventional destructive testing methods, CT can be faster, less expensive, and more repeatable. It also offers deeper insights by making it possible to cross-section a single sample on multiple planes, and it can automatically identify manufacturing flaws like voids and pores.

Lumafield's Neptune CT scanner works by taking a series of X-ray images from different angles. It uploads them to Voyager, Lumafield's powerful, cloud-based software, where they're reconstructed into a 3D model. From there it's easy to analyze the scanned object in detail by taking accurate measurements, visualizing hidden features, and sharing data seamlessly with collaborators.

Explore the Lumafield CT scans below to learn more.

Explore a CT scan of an injection-molded pipe coupler

Explore a CT scan of a plastic beverage dispenser

Explore a CT scan of a fiberglass ball valve

Learn how L’Oréal's engineers use industrial CT to find and fix leaky bottles

Inspect mechanical assemblies with industrial CT

Industrial X-ray CT lets engineers see their work in detail, inside and out. With Lumafield's Neptune CT scanner and Voyager analysis software, it's fast and easy to inspect assemblies, BGAs, and wiring without destroying prototypes and products. Plus, CT offers quantitative analysis tools like automated porosity detection and digital check gauges that go well beyond eyeball tests to improve manufacturing outcomes.

Hear Tony Fadell talk about why he wishes he had industrial CT when he created the iPod. When you're ready to start exploring, create a free Voyager account and visit the demo scans below.

“We’re doing everything we can to make the best product possible, and that includes trying new technologies and processes that we haven’t used in past product development.”

Learn how WHOOP's engineers use industrial CT to develop great products and collaborate with teams around the world

Welcome to Lumafield: X-Ray Vision for Engineers

Consumer expectations for athletic equipment have never been higher. In every sport from golf and tennis to football and ice hockey, equipment manufacturers are turning to advanced design and fabrication technologies to give their customers an edge. These new technologies—like 3D printed lattices and sophisticated carbon fiber layups—require careful design, engineering, and manufacturing processes to be successful.

Industrial X-ray CT technology from Lumafield gives designers and engineers the insight and control they need to deliver outstanding products that push performance boundaries. In the early stages of product development, industrial CT gives R&D and design teams the power to evaluate their ideas quickly, helping them iterate faster.

During the design for manufacturing (DfM) process, industrial CT uncovers invisible problems and untangles design issues before they become major blockers. In production, industrial CT lets engineers quickly inspect complex products, ensuring quality and highlighting supply chain problems—all without resorting to destructive testing.

Explore the scans below by creating a free Lumafield Voyager account, and read our case studies with Trek Bicycle and Saucony to learn how Lumafield helps engineers create outstanding sports equipment.

A powerful engineering tool from product design through mass production

“Our goal is to make only products we love. To do that, we need to have access to the best tools. An in-house CT scanner has been on our wish list for a long time.”

Learn how Trek Bicycle uses X-ray CT to develop great products

Develop advanced athletic equipment with industrial CT