NanoCT unboxing

After a long wait, our brand new nanoCT scanner is up and running!

Looking at things in the smallest resolutions usually requires instruments of the largest dimensions. © HJH/UiO

A rainy day in October turned out the be the day when the much-awaited multiscale x-ray nanotomograph SKYSCAN 2211 finally arrived to our lab. After an elaborate logistical exercise to move the two tonne instrument from its shipping crate to its designated lab space, our nanoCT is now fully operational and we have given the scanner a good test drive with a wide range of biological and non-biological samples. The nanoCT will add to our three-dimensional x-ray imaging capabilities as the instrument compliments our SKYSCAN 1172 microCT system, bringing a whole new dimension to our 3D scans and enabling us to have an even more detailed look into the 3D structure of biological tissues and tissue-material interfaces.   

Unboxing a nanoCT: a jigsaw puzzle of moving a brand new 2 x 2 x 1.2 m instrument that weighs 1800 kg from a shipping crate to an old building with narrow doorways and corridors. © FW/UiO
Moving a two tonne instrument is not a one-man show and everyone gets a task according to their skills. Here's the talented door stopper crew led by a crowbar (lower right corner). © FW/UiO

Long wait put to good use

In connection to the arrival of the latest instrument to our lab, we have invited some relevant speakers to get us prepared for exploring the possibilities new x-ray tomography technologies throughout the autumn. Professor Liebert Nogueira from Rio de Janeiro State University will soon be our man in charge of our x-ray micro- and nanotomographs. He made a short introductory excursion to Oslo to meet his future colleagues and gave us a brief presentation on his previous work on synchrotron microCT imaging of various biological tissues. Professor Dag W Breiby from Norwegian University of Science and Technology also visited us during the autumn and gave us a very exciting presentation on the use of phase contrast methods in high resolution x-ray microtomography to bring out the soft matter in x-ray scans as well as introducing us to the 3D x-ray imaging expertise that is available in Trondheim.    

Dag Breiby from NTNU and Håvard Haugen from the Biomaterials lab discussing the imaging possibilities using different complimentary x-ray tomography techniques. © FW/UiO
Tags: microCT, nanoCT, x-ray tomography
Published Nov. 3, 2017 7:40 PM - Last modified Nov. 18, 2022 2:39 PM