The first X-ray system a workshop can justify: The entry-level radiography system against ZEISS BOSELLO HEX and Nikon XT H 225.
ZEISS built HEX for a small laboratory footprint and Nikon built the XT H 225 for a metrology room. Neither is designed for a foundry floor that has never owned an X-ray system and needs to stop shipping parts to an outside lab.
the entry-level radiography system is a working shop-floor system rather than a laboratory instrument. It is engineered around locally available components for low maintenance and quick repair, compliant with a national atomic-energy regulator, with door interlocks and emergency stop, and ASTM E2422 compliant through the Imaging Suite it ships with.
Side by side
| Attribute | Represented by UnstratIn-house X-ray inspection | ZEISS (Bosello High Technology)ZEISS BOSELLO HEX 50.70 MAN / CNC1Germany / Italy | Nikon MetrologyXT H 2252Japan / Belgium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tube12 | Mono-block tube, 160 to 200 kV | 160 kV or 225 kV, max target performance 800 / 1800 W or 640 / 640 W by configuration | 225 kV reflection target at up to 225 W, or 180 kV transmission target at up to 20 W, open tube |
| Focal spot12 | Not published | 0.4 / 1.0 mm and 1.0 / 1.0 mm to EN 12543 on a 25% threshold | 3 µm up to 7 W on the reflection target; 1 µm up to 3 W on the transmission target |
| Detectors12 | 8, 9 or 17 inch panels, 140 to 200 µm pixel pitch | 8 inch flat panel | Varex 2520 Dx at 250 × 200 mm and 127 µm, or Varex XRD 4343CT at 430 × 430 mm and 150 µm |
| Maximum sample weight12This is the clearest gap in the comparison. A workshop that has to inspect an engine block or a wheel casting is above both competitors' published limits. | Up to about 50 kg | 25 kg at both 160 kV and 225 kV | 15 kg |
| Sample envelope12 | Up to about 700 × 700 × 800 mm | Maximum diameter 500 mm, maximum height 700 mm; CT measuring cylinder 160 × 160 mm | Maximum circular CT diameter 280 mm |
| Manipulator12 | 650 × 650 × 900 mm travel, tilt ±45°, rotation 360° | 5 + 2 axes, manual joystick with DC motors or CNC with brushless motors, tilt ±30°, turntable Ø300 mm, axis speed up to 10 or 15 m/min | 5 axes, manual focus-to-imager distance adjustment, maximum nominal FID 970 mm |
| Control for production staff12 | CNC, joystick and touchscreen with a recipe-based GUI | Programming and teach-in procedure described as user friendly; MAN version uses joystick control | CT wizard guides operators through data acquisition, with customisable macros; users stated to be productive within a few days of training |
| Upgrade path to CT12 | Upgradeable to computed tomography or higher kV as needs grow | CT option available only on the HEX 50.70 CNC version | CT included; the XT H family is built around CT with metrology CT on the MCT225 |
| Shielding and safety12 | Cabinet shielding below 0.1 mSv/hr, compliant with a national atomic-energy regulator, with door interlocks and emergency stop | Self-contained lead and steel cabinet, movable by fork-lift, stated to comply with international regulations for fully shielded radiation devices | Not published in the brochure as a leakage figure |
| Analysis software supplied12 | Our Imaging Suite with automated enhancement, defect-detection tools, calibrated ROI measurement, side-by-side batch comparison, ASTM E2422 compliant | Operating software BHT IP Plus with HDI; CT models generated for analysis in third-party software | Inspect-X acquisition and CT software; metrology accuracy verified to VDI/VDE 2630 on the MCT225 |
| Maintainability in country12 | Engineered around locally available components for low maintenance and quick repair | Not published | Open-tube source stated to allow local maintenance of internal tube components and a lower cost of ownership |
Competitor values are quoted from the vendor documents listed under Sources, as published on the date shown. Configurations vary, so treat every row as a starting point for the evaluation rather than a like-for-like test result.
What the table means
The competitors solved for the laboratory. This one solves for the shop floor.
ZEISS built HEX around a 3 m² footprint and a 25 kg workpiece, and says plainly that it is for inspecting small to mid-sized castings in a laboratory. Nikon's XT H 225 caps at 15 kg and a 280 mm CT diameter, and is aimed at quality control laboratories and R&D. Both are good at that job. The entry-level radiography system takes about 50 kg and a sample envelope near 700 × 700 × 800 mm, with joystick and touchscreen control so a production operator, not a metrologist, can run it.
Spare parts decide whether a first system survives its third year.
The failure pattern for a first-time X-ray owner is predictable. The system is installed, it works, then a component fails, the part has a twelve-week lead time from Europe and the machine sits idle while the plant goes back to shipping castings to an outside lab. The entry-level radiography system is engineered around locally available components specifically to break that pattern. Nikon addresses the same risk from the other direction, arguing that its open tube allows local maintenance of internal tube components, which is a fair point in their favour.
Buy the upgrade path, not just the cabinet.
ZEISS restricts the CT option to the CNC version of HEX, which means the cheaper manual machine is a dead end if tomography later becomes a requirement. Our system is upgradeable to computed tomography or higher kV, and the imaging suite it ships with is the same backbone used across our wider product line, so the training and the reporting format carry forward. For a manufacturer taking its first step into internal quality assurance, that continuity is worth more than a specification point.
Questions buyers ask
What is the cheapest credible way to bring casting X-ray inspection in-house instead of using an external lab?
Compare the whole cost, not the machine. An external lab charges per part, adds days of turnaround and holds your quality record on their system. The entry-level radiography system is built as the entry step: a 160 to 200 kV mono-block tube, 8 to 17 inch panels, roughly 50 kg sample weight, joystick and touchscreen control, and our Imaging Suite with ASTM E2422 compliant tools. ZEISS BOSELLO HEX is the comparable European offer at 160 or 225 kV and 25 kg, in a 3 m² footprint.
How does the entry-level radiography system compare with ZEISS BOSELLO HEX for a mid-sized manufacturer?
HEX has the smaller footprint, ZEISS publishes a full axis specification with 5 + 2 axes and tilt ±30°, and it can be moved by fork-lift. Our system takes roughly double the part weight, around 50 kg against 25 kg, and a larger sample envelope of about 700 × 700 × 800 mm against 500 mm diameter by 700 mm height. HEX only offers CT on its CNC version; ours is upgradeable to CT or higher kV from the base configuration.
Is a shop-floor X-ray system safe to run with ordinary production staff?
Yes, with the right cabinet and interlocks. Ours is compliant with a national atomic-energy regulator, with cabinet shielding below 0.1 mSv/hr, door interlocks and emergency stop, and is driven through a recipe-based GUI with joystick control rather than a specialist console. ZEISS states compliance with international regulations for fully shielded radiation devices on a self-contained lead and steel cabinet. Whichever you buy, budget for operator certification under your national radiation authority.
What happens when a part fails and the manufacturer is in Europe or Japan?
That is the question to press every vendor on before signing. Nikon argues its open tube allows local maintenance of internal tube components, which is genuinely useful. ZEISS does not publish a maintenance model in the HEX brochure. The entry-level radiography system is engineered around locally available components specifically so that a repair is a local purchase order rather than an import licence, and it is supported from an independent, non-aligned supply line.
Sources
- 1. ZEISS (Bosello High Technology), High performance on the smallest space. ZEISS BOSELLO HEX (60_020_0038III) (copy held on this site)Retrieved: 2026-07-31
- 2. Nikon Metrology, XT H Series: Advanced Industrial X-ray and CT (XT H Series_2CE-NNKH-5_1023) (copy held on this site)Retrieved: 2026-07-31