Automated defect recognition at production speed: our real-time radiography system against ZEISS BOSELLO OMNIA and Comet Yxlon UX20.
ZEISS and Comet Yxlon both build serious automated casting inspection, and both publish their envelopes. The difference for a defence production plant is who writes the accept-or-reject rule and where the software is maintained.
Our real-time radiography system is a fielded production cell, type-approved by a national atomic-energy regulator and ASTM E-standard compliant, designed for 24/7 working at a 100% duty cycle with barcode-driven data capture. The acquisition and review software is ours, so the inspection standard belongs to the manufacturer running the line.
Side by side
| Attribute | Represented by UnstratMulti-component X-ray inspection | ZEISS (Bosello High Technology)ZEISS BOSELLO OMNIA 120.70 / 160.1001Germany / Italy | Comet YxlonUX202Switzerland / Germany |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tube voltage12 | 160 kV or 225 kV variants | 160 kV or 225 kV | 160 to 225 kV mini-focus, or 225 kV MesoFocus |
| Focal spot12 | 0.4 to 1.0 mm | 0.4 / 1.0 mm and 1.0 / 1.0 mm to EN 12543 on a 25% threshold, by configuration | Not published |
| Detectors12 | 8 inch 205 × 205 mm, 1024 × 1024, 200 µm pitch; 17 inch 432 × 432 mm, 2880 × 2880, 150 µm pitch | 8 inch 1024 × 1024, 200 × 200 mm; 16 inch 2048 × 2048 at 400 × 400 mm; 16 inch 4096 × 4096 at 100 µm, 400 × 400 mm | 2323 HB at 1280 × 1280 px and 179 µm pitch, or 4343 DXi at 3072 × 3072 px and 139 µm pitch |
| Defect decision12 | Fully automated built-in defect recognition makes the accept-or-reject call, not the operator | Visual FARIS automated defect recognition, described as self-designed and developed and customisable to specific user acceptability or various ASTM standards | Manual, assisted or automated inspection modes, with wizards and presets guiding less experienced operators through the workflow |
| Parallel load and scan12 | Rotating-swivel technology allows one part to scan while the next loads, with anti-collision protection across all axes | Rotating loading table enables parallel scanning and loading; loading time image to image quoted at 6 seconds or less | SmartGuard collision protection listed; parallel loading not published |
| Maximum part weight12Comet Yxlon's 100 kg is the largest published figure in this comparison, and it matters for heavy castings. | Not published | 25 kg on both the 120.70 and the 160.100 | 100 kg on both detector configurations |
| Inspection envelope12 | Not published | 1,170 × 670 × 380 mm on the 120.70, 1,570 × 970 × 480 mm on the 160.100 | 2D envelope 710 × 1,090 mm or 800 × 1,100 mm; 3D CT 190 × 165 mm or 340 × 280 mm, extended to 540 × 1,100 mm with ScanExtend |
| Axes12 | Custom CNC-controller manipulator for tube and detector | 9 CNC axes driven by brushless motors, tilt ±30°, axis speed up to 15 m/min | 5 axes, oblique viewing ±55° with 45° in the central beam |
| Duty cycle12 | 100%, designed for 24/7 working | Automated 100% inline inspection stated for multi-shift operation; no duty-cycle figure published | Not published |
| Traceability and line integration12 | Barcode scanning for data recording and retrieval with cloud data storage | Marking and identification features, remote operator unit and special interfaces available on request; integration into a robotic cell offered | CY Line Connect software for production-line integration, automated data transfer |
| Standards and approval12 | Type-approved by a national atomic-energy regulator, ASTM E-standard compliant | Protective enclosure stated to comply with international regulations for fully shielded radiation devices; FARIS customisable to various ASTM standards | Not published |
| Who maintains the inspection software123 | Our proprietary acquisition and review software, developed in-house; independent, non-aligned origin | ZEISS operating software BHT IP Plus with HDI and Visual FARIS evaluation, supported through the ZEISS service network | Comet Yxlon Software Suite including the Geminy user interface, supported through Comet Yxlon life cycle service |
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
On envelope, they publish more than we do. Read that honestly.
Comet Yxlon states 100 kg maximum sample weight and a 2D envelope up to 800 × 1,100 mm. ZEISS states 25 kg but a 1,570 × 970 × 480 mm inspection range and a 6 second image-to-image loading time. Our catalogue publishes the detector, tube and duty-cycle figures but not the envelope, which is a gap on our side, not a strength. Where the real-time radiography system is directly comparable is the working principle: rotating-swivel handling so one part scans while the next loads, anti-collision on every axis, and a 100% duty cycle stated for round-the-clock working.
ADR is now standard. Ownership of the criteria is not.
ZEISS makes the strongest published claim here, and it is worth conceding: FARIS is their own software and it can be tuned to a user's acceptability criteria or to ASTM standards. That is exactly the right capability. The distinction is who holds the source of that logic and how quickly a change request becomes a delivered change. Our principal writes both the acquisition and the review software, so a plant that needs a new defect class, a different reject threshold or a modified report format is talking to the people who compile the code.
A production line that stops for a service visit is not a production line.
Both competitors run global service organisations, and that works well when your plant is in Stuttgart. For a defence production facility outside those networks, the failure mode is not a bad image, it is an eight-week wait for an engineer and an export licence for a replacement board. The real-time radiography system is supplied and supported from an independent, non-aligned source with the software maintained by the same team, which is the difference between a line that runs and a line that has an availability problem it cannot fix locally.
Questions buyers ask
What is the best alternative to ZEISS BOSELLO OMNIA for a state-owned foundry inspecting castings at volume?
OMNIA is a capable machine with 9 CNC axes, a 6 second image-to-image loading time and FARIS automated defect recognition tunable to ASTM criteria, and it caps at 25 kg per part. The real-time radiography system covers the same job with 160 or 225 kV, 8 and 17 inch panels at 200 and 150 µm pitch, rotating-swivel load-while-scan, a 100% duty cycle and built-in ADR, and it is type-approved by a national atomic-energy regulator and ASTM E-standard compliant. The reason to choose the real-time radiography system is ownership of the inspection software and support that does not route through a European service queue.
How does the real-time radiography system compare with the Comet Yxlon UX20 on throughput and part size?
Comet Yxlon publishes 100 kg maximum sample weight, a 2D envelope up to 800 × 1,100 mm, a 3072 × 3072 detector at 139 µm and five axes, which is a larger published envelope than we state. On throughput, our published position is a 100% duty cycle with rotating-swivel handling so scanning and loading overlap. If your parts are heavy castings, ask both vendors to quote a measured cycle time on your actual part rather than comparing envelopes.
Does automated defect recognition actually remove operator subjectivity?
It removes the judgement, not the responsibility. In the real-time radiography system the ADR software makes the accept-or-reject call and the result is captured against a barcode with cloud storage, so the decision is auditable rather than remembered. ZEISS makes the same argument for FARIS, describing operator-independent inspection. Either way the acceptance criteria still have to be set, validated against ASTM references and revalidated when the part changes, which is why it matters who can edit them.
Why buy inspection software from the machine builder rather than a third party?
Because a production reject rule is not a generic feature. Our principal develops the acquisition and review software for the real-time radiography system in-house, which means the accept-or-reject logic, the report format and the data record can be changed by the supplier on your schedule. Comet Yxlon and ZEISS both bundle their own software too, so the argument is not that third-party software is wrong. It is that a foreign vendor's release cycle should not decide when your reject criteria can change.
Sources
- 1. ZEISS (Bosello High Technology), Turning inspection into productivity. ZEISS BOSELLO OMNIA (60_020_0048II) (copy held on this site)Retrieved: 2026-07-31
- 2. Comet Yxlon, UX20: Best image quality. Fast and easy. (product page with technical data table)Retrieved: 2026-07-31 · No downloadable datasheet published on the vendor site; figures taken from the technical data table on the product page.
- 3. Comet Yxlon, The Comet Yxlon Software Suite: Clarity. Efficiency. Insights.Retrieved: 2026-07-31