How Parker Hannifin automated its quality control using tomography

30 Apr 2025
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CT scan automation of a part
Parker Hannifin is an American company, a global leader in motion and control technologies, founded in 1917 in Cleveland, Ohio, by engineer Arthur Parker under the name Parker Appliance Company.

Since then, the company has operated in many industrial sectors such as aerospace (its traditional sector), automotive, and energy, with products ranging from hydraulic systems to automation solutions.

In 2023, worldwide, Parker represents $19 billion in net sales, with 62,730 employees across 335 sites.

In 2022, the Parker site in Muzillac, Brittany, equipped itself with a tomography system, the Explorer EasyTom S from RX Solutions to meet a need for quality control at the start and end of production.
In addition to the CT system, a user interface was developed to make the operators’ task as easy and automated as possible.

Why Parker Hannifin chose CT to modernize its quality control

We live in an industrial world where technology is evolving very quickly and where the parts and products manufactured are increasingly sophisticated, technical, and meticulous. This is the problem that led the company Parker, in 2022, to consult RX Solutions, with a desire to “industrialize” the quality control of the parts and components produced at the Muzillac plant. Traditional methods, such as coordinate measuring machines (CMMs), proved too slow and laborious to meet current production needs. The company therefore looked for a solution that could speed up inspections, be simple to use, and be non-destructive if you want to inspect the inside of a part.
 

Choosing the CT system – the Explorer EasyTom S

To meet this need, Parker turned to industrial tomography, a non-destructive solution that allows both internal and external inspection of its parts. After a study of what the market had to offer, the company chose RX Solutions and the Explorer in its EasyTom S version.

The EasyTom S is the most compact model in the Explorer line, while allowing great versatility on small and medium-sized parts. The motorized axes, which make it possible to adjust the scan resolution according to the size of the parts, were also a major asset.

According to Parker Hannifin, “the Explorer EasyTom S model is the most versatile in its category” and enabled a quick and efficient installation.


Automated tomography interface – custom-made

A custom user interface, automated inspection

The RX Solutions and Parker teams worked in close collaboration to produce an Explorer-EasyTom S with a UI (User Interface) specific to the company’s inspection needs, using the RxSolutions API (Application Programming Interface).

The UI developed allows the operator to choose their inspection line and, once the parts are placed in the machine, to automatically carry out the inspection of the parts, with the scan, the reconstruction, and the VG Studio Max post-processing, through to displaying whether or not the parts conform, red/green, on the machine’s screen. A password unlock makes it possible to switch back to an external interface for advanced inspections outside production.
 

Benefits of industrial Computed Tomography

The integration of tomography through the Explorer-EasyTom S into Parker Hannifin’s production processes has proven particularly effective. This interface made it possible to fully automate data acquisition and system control, thus freeing up operators’ time. The results obtained by Parker Hannifin are eloquent:

  • Significant productivity gain: quality inspections are now performed in the background, allowing the company to focus on optimizing its production processes. Until then, 2 injection operators had to inspect their own parts.
  • Quality improvement: tomography makes it possible to detect internal defects invisible to other inspection methods, thus guaranteeing impeccable quality of finished products.
  • Scrap reduction: thanks to early defect detection, Parker Hannifin was able to considerably reduce the number of defective parts and customer returns.
  • Faster design: tomography makes it possible to quickly analyze prototypes and optimize mold design, thus shortening time to market.
  • Ease of use: the intuitive interface of the EasyTom S made it easier for Parker Hannifin’s teams to adopt the solution.
 

Case study: industrial inspection by X-rays

One of Parker Hannifin’s plants in Mexico encountered a cracking problem on plastic parts. Thanks to tomography, the company was able to quickly identify the cause of these cracks: an internal assembly defect. And above all, find a solution. This industrial case perfectly illustrates tomography’s ability to identify and solve complex problems and to improve manufacturing processes and quality control throughout the production line.
 

Explorer – EasyTom S


The installation of an industrial tomography system at Parker Hannifin clearly met the initial needs for faster, simpler part inspection, even going further thanks to the joint development of a UI via API to support operators in their product qualification mission. 
 
RX Solutions not only delivered a functional and efficient product, but also supported the customer throughout the process with regular follow-up and valuable advice on optimizing use of the machine. 

The lines and platforms for analyzing your parts

At RX Solutions, we offer 3 lines of tomographs: the Explorer, Nano, or Force line. These lines can then be customized with our Series to match your applications and business constraints. For production constraints, there is the FAB Series, and for dimensional measurements, the Metrology Series.


Product lines
EXPLORER
NANO
FORCE
Platforms
EasyTom S
EasyTom L
EasyTom XL
EasyTom B
EasyTom L
EasyTom XL
UltraTom
EasyTom L
EasyTom B
Series
Metrology Series



Fab Series





Performance
Resolution
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
Sample density
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
EXPLORER EasyTom S
Series
Metrology Series   
Fab Series   
Performance
Resolution            
Sample density            
EXPLORER EasyTom L
Series
Metrology Series   
Fab Series   
Performance
Resolution            
Sample density            
EXPLORER EasyTom XL
Series
Metrology Series  — 
Fab Series   
Performance
Resolution            
Sample density            
EXPLORER EasyTom B
Series
Metrology Series  — 
Fab Series  — 
Performance
Resolution            
Sample density            
NANO EasyTom L
Series
Metrology Series   
Fab Series  — 
Performance
Resolution            
Sample density            
NANO EasyTom XL
Series
Metrology Series  — 
Fab Series  — 
Performance
Resolution            
Sample density            
NANO UltraTom
Series
Metrology Series   
Fab Series  — 
Performance
Resolution            
Sample density            
FORCE EasyTom L
Series
Metrology Series   
Fab Series  — 
Performance
Resolution            
Sample density            
FORCE EasyTom B
Series
Metrology Series   
Fab Series  — 
Performance
Resolution            
Sample density            



Discover the 3 RX Solutions lines: Force - Explorer et Nano

Dental part scanned by Explorer micro-tomography Aerospace part in metal additive manufacturing 

EXPLORER

Versatile micro-tomography

2 µm RESOLUTION
300 kV SOURCE VOLTAGE
< 1 µm MIN. VOXEL

Reveal the invisible at the micron scale.

Access the finest microstructures, porosities and interfaces with a resolution down to the nanometre scale.

Platforms Easytom S · Easytom L · Easytom XL · EasyTom B
 Discover the Explorer line      
Microscopic structure analysed at nanometric resolution Life sciences, Wood

NANO

Nanometric analysis

250 nm RESOLUTION
160 kV SOURCE VOLTAGE
30 nm MIN. VOXEL

Reveal the smallest details with nanometric precision.

Nanometric resolutions to characterise microstructures, porosities and interfaces at a scale that optical microscopy cannot reach.

Platforms Easytom L · Easytom XL · Ultratom
 Discover the Nano line      
Electronic component inspected by Force high-energy tomography Titanium additive manufacturing injector 

FORCE

High-energy solution

4 µm RESOLUTION
450 kV SOURCE VOLTAGE
250 kgs Load up to

See through the densest materials.

Inspect thick metal parts, complex assemblies and highly absorbing components with optimal image quality.

Platforms Easytom L · Easytom B
 Discover the Force line      


 How to identify my tomography need

 


Discuss my CT needs for production

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