Micro CT Imaging Laboratory

General Information

The system can nondestructively visualize up to 209 Megapixel (14450x14450 pixels) virtual slices through objects, more than 2600 such slices after a single scan using newly developed 16Mp and 11Mp X-ray detectors in up to three offset positions. Due to phase-contrast enhancement, object details as small as 0.4µm can be detected. The innovative flexible acquisition geometry of the SkyScan 1272 scanner is particularly advantageous over intermediate resolution levels, where scans are several times faster (to obtain the same or better image quality) compared to micro CT systems with a fixed source-detector design.

For any sample, which can be up to 75mm in diameter, the system can automatically optimize x-ray energy and energy filtering using a new maintenance-free X-ray source and automatic 6-position filter changer. Large format imaging has been supported by world's fastest hierarchical (InstaRecon®) and multithreaded GPU-accelerated 3D-reconstruction and realistic visualization by surface and volume rendering. Please see technical details at: https://www.bruker.com/service.html

Application

•    Bone and dental tissue
•    Soft tissue samples
•    Composites, foam, fibers
•    Electronic components and assemblies
•    Geology, oil and gas exploration
•    Wood, paper and seeds

Gallery

Images and Videos

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Facility Use

Policies and procedures

1. Micro-Imaging Research Facility is a multi-user facility that provides services to LLU faculty, staff and students as well as to external users.
2. Instrumentation use and services provided by the MRF are subject to fees.

Access

1. Access to MRF must be granted by the facility Director.
2. User can utilize MRF services after approval of the online “Project Request Form”.
3. Facility staff provides services and assistance to users. Users may request to utilize facility staff’s expertise for operation of instruments, sample preparation, data acquisition, and interpretation. Users are not allowed to operate the scanners directly.
4. LLU users are required to provide the invoice account and authorized by the titular personal investigator (PI), Cost Center Administration and Department Chair before services are rendered.
5. To gain access to MRF services external users need to provide billing street address, contact phone and fax numbers and a statement of acceptance of financial responsibility for the requested services based on the estimates provided by MRF staff. Advanced payment may be requested under certain circumstances.

Scheduling and Reservation

1. All services and instruments are accessible by advanced appointment only, on first-come-first-serve basis.
2. Appointments are made by contacting the facility staff.

Consulting for Custom Applications

In case the application is novel, or the user does not know the appropriate settings for the scan, we offer consulting at the same fee schedule reported on a per hour basis ($100). Consulting with the MRF Staff (sdmicroimaging@llu.edu) constitutes intellectual contribution to the work and must be credited in publications at the discretion of the facility director as agreed in the consulting form. After the project is conceived, continuous assistance can be provided through the project up to publication level at no charge.

Cancelation

Cancellation of appointment less than 24 hours before the starting time is subject to penalty fee equivalent to 2 hours per day of the specific service rate.

Data Storage

1. Electronic user files and data stored on MRF computers are kept for a period of 30 days from the date of creation. Two emails will be sent to investigators to warn about data deletion during this period. After expiration of this period all user files and data will be deleted and no refund will be provided.
2. Users are responsible to provide an external hard drive (generic USB Hub, USB 3.0, USB Root Hub) before data deletion. It is the responsibility of the user to verify the content on the hard drive once it has been returned and received.

Payment

1. Payments should be made in US dollars and are processed through the MRF business office. Users can remit payments only by invoice order.
2. Bills are submitted after services have been rendered except in case when advanced payment is specifically requested.

User application

Fees (consulting, scanning, learning, and analysis)

Center for Dental Research utilies a three-tier fee structure:

• Tier 1 - LLUSD faculty, staff and students
• Tier 2 - LLU - other schools
• Tier 3 - general commercial customers/non LLU

Rates effective 2021

Note:
10% discount on MicroCT rates for usage about 20 hours per month per LLU PI.
10% discount on MicroCT external rates for usage above 10 hours per month, per customer.

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Micro CT Learning Center

Training for software usage can be provided with the same fee schedule as above.

1. Control Software for SKYSCAn 1272: The control program acquires images from the X-ray camera, controls all positioning and X-ray source in the scanner. It can save separate X-ray images or complete acquired set of angular projections for following tomographical reconstruction.
2. Nrecon Software: SkyScan NRecon package is used to reconstruct cross-section images from tomography projection images, mainly the cone-beam X-ray projections. The reconstruction software package consists of 2 programs:  the user interface program NRecon and a reconstruction engine, either a CPU version NReconServer or a GPU version GPUReconServer.
3. DataViewer Software: The reconstructed set of slices can be flexibly viewed in SkyScan's "Data Viewer" program. Images are displayed as a slice-by-slice movie or as three orthogonal sections, centered at any selected point inside the reconstructed space. Data Viewer also has a viewing mode with three intersecting orthogonal sections, which can be turned and each intersecting slice independently moved by simple mouse control.
4. CTVox Software: The volume rendering program “CTvox” displays set of reconstructed slices as a realistic 3D object with intuitive navigation and manipulation of both object and camera, a flexible clipping tool to produce cut-away views, background selection including custom scenery and an interactive transfer function control to adjust colors and transparency. A "flight recorder" function allows fast creation of "fly around" and "fly through" animations based on the selection of several key frames with automatic interpolation in between. Imaging possibilities include lighting, shadows and stereo viewing.
5. CTAn Software: SkyScan "CT-analyser" analyses micro CT datasets for morphometry and densitometry. It is an intuitive and comprehensive environment for processing and analysis of datasets, accurately generating the quantitative data that is the final objective of micro CT scanning and analysis.

Note: This software can be used anywhere inside LLU domain.

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