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22 SMT007 MAGAZINE I APRIL 2025 will be seamless. Once you appreciate the difference between the voltage and the cur- rent in the X-ray tube and how these param- eters impact the focal spot size in the tar- get, you'll be able to assess which X-ray tube your application requires based on the den- sity and size of your sample. e same analy- sis is extended to the X-ray sensor, where the exposure time, type of scintillator material, type of sensor, and pixel size are some of the many parameters you'll need to consider to properly select which imaging train will pro- duce the best image. Motion Upon the determination that you have the proper imaging train—X-ray sensor and source—to image your samples, it's time to understand how your samples will enter, move, and exit the machine. e mechan- ics involved in the motion of your samples significantly impact the design of the X-ray system. From manual systems where you'll feed the samples into the machine by hand, to fully automated systems with conveyor- ized feeding mechanisms, the range of auto- mation solutions is as vast as the applications they solve. e main drive to determine the type of automation your application requires is the number of boards you must inspect daily. Manual X-ray machines can process dozens or hundreds of boards, while auto- mated systems are deployed when hundreds to thousands of boards are checked daily. Robots are also being utilized in semi- and fully automated X-ray systems. Decision e last step determines how the data will be processed. is is the last step of the pro- cess aer you have captured good images and are collecting data as fast as you need and from all the places on the board you're interested in inspecting. Now that you have all these data, how are you transforming it into information? Remember, information Figure 3