Visualizing nature’s engineering with industrial CT
At Lumafield, we are constantly finding new ways to explore and elevate the most advanced engineering. The May 2023 Scan of the Month takes a detour from its usual scope of human-made products to the majesty of botanical forms — from the fractal beauty of the Romanesco, the symbiotic internal world of the common fig, the labyrinthine organization of a pomegranate, to the complex hyphae network of a Lion’s mane mushroom.
Our Neptune industrial CT scanner and browser-based Voyager analysis software offer a nondestructive look into these organic wonders, allowing us to visualize their subtle density variations and quantify the striking patterns that make these fruits and fungi so much more than just food. In Voyager, users can inspect complex multi-material structures along a range of parameters — rotating, zooming, and digitally dissecting to unlock an understanding of their products that extends far beyond what physical inspection can reveal.
With Neptune and Voyager, manufacturers can verify assembly integrity, perform failure analyses, check for material defects, or reverse-engineer components. In R&D contexts, industrial CT can accelerate prototyping by facilitating rapid iterations based on detailed internal feedback. The ability to analyze hidden structures and measure minute variations also proves invaluable in quality control.
While these botanical specimens are fascinating in their own right, they also hint at untapped potentials in the realm of biomimicry — the design and production of materials, structures, and systems modeled on biological entities and processes. Understanding how nature builds strength, resilience, and efficiency into its structures can revolutionize how we manufacture products across industries – from aerospace to biomedical engineering.
It is a bonus when the actionable insights generated by Neptune and Voyager also happen to yield mesmerizing results. Below you will find a handful of the stunning visualizations of organic forms that emerged from our scans, available for download. Create a free account in Voyager now to check out the collection of scans below, including those showcased in Scan of the Month and more.
Scan links
- Romanesco Scan
- Fig Scan
- Pomegranate Scan
- Lion’s mane mushroom scan
- Queen protea Scan
- Artichoke scan
- Chanterelle scan
- Cacao pod scan
- Strawberry scan
- Succulent scan
- Magnolia seed scan
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