Nobody else sells the manipulator: Our custom rigs against the motion built into ZEISS, Comet Yxlon and Nikon cabinets.
The majors publish axis counts and sample weights for their own cabinets and nothing else, because their manipulators are not products. If your part is a ten-metre composite tube or a live munition, that is the whole problem.
These are built rigs, not concepts: flame-proof motor versions for the inspection of ammunition and propellants, high-energy CT frames working to 15 MeV with a PaxScan 4343HE detector, and a seven-axis manipulator for real-time radiography of long cylindrical composite parts. They are engineered for cabinet systems or concrete bunkers and owned outright by the operator that fields them.
Side by side
| Attribute | Represented by UnstratMulti-axis X-ray manipulators | ZEISS (Bosello High Technology)ZEISS BOSELLO MAX manipulation system1Germany / Italy | Comet YxlonUX20 manipulation system2Switzerland / Germany | Nikon MetrologyXT H Series manipulators (XT H 225, MCT225, XT H 225 ST 2x)3Japan / Belgium |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sold as a standalone manipulator123 | Yes. Custom-built to the task, accommodating X-ray tubes and flat-panel detectors for cabinet systems or concrete bunkers | Not published as a separate product; specified as part of the MAX cabinet | Not published as a separate product; specified as part of the UX20 system | Not published as a separate product; specified per XT H system |
| Energy range served123Above 450 kV nobody in this comparison publishes a manipulator, because none of these cabinets is built for accelerator energies. | 160 kV to 15 MeV | 160, 225, 320 and 450 kV | 160 to 225 kV mini-focus, 225 kV MesoFocus | 180 kV transmission and 225 kV reflection targets |
| Object size handled123 | 10 to 3,000 mm diameter, lengths beyond 10 m, and objects over 2 to 3 tonnes on heavy-duty rigs | Up to 1,000 mm diameter and 2,000 mm height on the 100.150 (200) CNC | 2D inspection envelope 710 × 1,090 mm or 800 × 1,100 mm | Maximum circular CT diameter 280 mm on the XT H 225, 265 mm on the ST 2x |
| Object mass handled123 | Over 2 to 3 tonnes on heavy-duty rigs; about 200 kg on the seven-axis composites manipulator | 80 kg at 160/225 kV, 120 kg at 320/450 kV, optionally up to 250 kg | 100 kg | 15 kg on the XT H 225, 50 kg on the MCT225 and ST 2x |
| Axis count and motion123 | Small-part stage with X/Y about 650 mm, Z about 900 mm, tilt ±45°, turntable Ø400; seven-axis variant for long composites | 5 + 2 shutter axes, CNC controlled by brushless motors, tilt ±30°, axis speed up to 15 m/min | 5 axes, oblique viewing ±55° with 45° in the central beam | 5 axes on the XT H 225 and ST 2x, 4 axes on the MCT225; FID manual, fixed or motorised by model |
| Munitions and propellant handling123This is the row a defence buyer should read twice. None of the three vendors publishes a flame-proof drive option. | Flame-proof motor versions built specifically for the inspection of ammunition and propellants | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| High-energy CT configuration123 | Up to 15 MeV with a PaxScan 4343HE flat-panel detector and a Ø500 turntable | Not published; maximum published tube voltage 450 kV | Not published; maximum published tube voltage 225 kV | Not published; maximum published tube voltage 225 kV |
| Long cylindrical parts123 | Seven-axis manipulator for real-time radiography of parts 200 mm diameter by up to 5,000 mm long at about 1 mm accuracy | Not published beyond the 2,000 mm maximum height | Not published beyond the 1,100 mm envelope | Not published |
| Operating modes123 | Automatic, semi-automatic and manual with built-in synchronisation for precision and minimum exposures | CNC control driven by brushless motors | Manual, assisted or automated modes | CT wizard with customisable macros for automated acquisition |
| Collision protection123 | Anti-collision protection across all axes on the automated real-time radiography cell that uses these manipulators | Not published | SmartGuard collision protection | Not published |
| Positioning accuracy123Nikon's figure is a dimensional metrology specification on a metrology CT system, not a manipulator positioning tolerance. The two are not interchangeable. | About 1 mm along the full length on the seven-axis composites rig; not published for other configurations | Not published as an accuracy figure | Not published | MCT225 measurement accuracy stated as MPE(SD) of 9 + L/50 µm, verified to VDI/VDE 2630 |
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
This is not a like-for-like market, and pretending otherwise helps nobody.
ZEISS, Comet Yxlon and Nikon sell cabinets. Their manipulators are excellent and they are not for sale on their own: you get 5 axes and 100 kg from a UX20, 5 + 2 CNC axes and up to 250 kg from a BOSELLO MAX, 4 or 5 axes and 15 to 50 kg from an XT H. If your part fits in their cabinet, buy their cabinet. The comparison only becomes real when the part does not fit, which for defence work is most of the time.
Ammunition changes the specification of the motor, not just the shielding.
An ordinary drive near propellant is an ignition source. That is why flame-proof motor versions exist in our range and why no cabinet vendor in this set publishes one: their market is castings and electronics. A national ammunition plant inspecting filled rounds needs the drive rated for the atmosphere it works in, the frame rated for the object mass, and the whole rig designed to sit inside a concrete bunker rather than a lead cabinet.
Fifteen MeV is a different building.
At accelerator energies the manipulator stops being a table and becomes structural steel in a shielded vault, carrying a PaxScan 4343HE and a Ø500 turntable while a 15 MeV beam passes through several hundred millimetres of dense material. None of the three cabinet vendors publishes anything above 450 kV. Wall-mounted frames for high-energy heads, seven-axis rigs for five-metre composite tubes and heavy-duty stages for three-tonne objects are built to the requirement, which is the only way this class of inspection gets done.
Questions buyers ask
Who supplies X-ray manipulators for inspecting ammunition and propellants?
Very few vendors publish one. ZEISS, Comet Yxlon and Nikon all publish manipulator specifications inside their own cabinets and none of them lists a flame-proof drive option. Our principal builds flame-proof motor versions specifically for the inspection of ammunition and propellants, with automatic, semi-automatic and manual modes and built-in synchronisation to keep exposures to a minimum.
What is the best alternative to a Comet Yxlon or ZEISS cabinet for parts that are too big for a cabinet?
A custom rig. Comet Yxlon's UX20 publishes a 100 kg sample limit and an envelope up to 800 × 1,100 mm; ZEISS BOSELLO MAX reaches 1,000 mm diameter by 2,000 mm height and up to 250 kg optionally. Above that you are building, not buying. Our principal builds heavy-duty manipulators for objects over 2 to 3 tonnes and more than 10 m long, plus wall-mounted frames for high-energy heads where floor space is short.
How does a 15 MeV CT manipulator differ from a 225 kV cabinet stage?
In mass, shielding and integration. A 225 kV stage moves a part inside a lead-lined cabinet. A 15 MeV configuration works in a concrete bunker with a PaxScan 4343HE detector and a Ø500 turntable, positioning thick, dense structures against a beam that will penetrate them. Vendors selling 225 to 450 kV cabinets do not publish anything in this class, so compare on the vault design and the source, not on axis counts.
Should we buy the manipulator with the system or separately?
With the system, if a catalogue cabinet fits your parts, because the integration is already done and warranted. Separately, when the part decides the geometry: long composite tubes, filled munitions, three-tonne castings or an existing vault that needs new motion. Our principal supplies manipulators built to the task that accommodate X-ray tubes and flat-panel detectors, which lets an operator refit an existing bunker rather than buy a new cell.
Sources
- 1. ZEISS (Bosello High Technology), The one for many applications. ZEISS BOSELLO MAX (60_020_0039II) (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. 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