COMPUTERISED RADIOGRAPHY ( CR)

Computed Radiography ( CR) is the production of a digital image by using a Phosphor Imaging Plate ( IIP) in place of a conventional film. Key advantages of CR include:   IP’ s are re-usable   No dark room or chemicals required   Exposure and process time reduced   Easy workflow and image optimisation with D-Tect software   Simple to share digital information and archive The CR technology consists of a 3-step process. i. The Image ( storage) Plate ( IP) is exposed with X-ray or Gamma radiation, which causes the IP Phosphor layer in the plate to store the X-ray image. During the reading process of the plate scanner, a focused laser beam triggers the release of the stored image data in the form of visible light. ii. The emitted light is detected, captured, and converted into electrical signals which are digitised and finally displayed as a digital image on the PC monitor. iii. The internal in-line eraser purges the residual data from the IIP, which is then ready for the next exposure. With film radiography the only variable is the film, with CR we have different IP‘ s and the ability to adjust up to 4 paramaters within the scanner to optimise the image quality to suit the required inspection task.