Fraunhofer IIS is developing GiantEye, a 9 MeV computed tomography system capable of scanning objects up to the size of a 20-foot freight container at 3D resolutions down to 100 micrometers. Built alongside OHB Digital Connect and sited at the institute's Development Center X-Ray Technology in Fürth, the system targets industrial availability in early 2027.
The key architectural change from Fraunhofer's existing XXL CT, a tower-design scanner operational since 2013, is the horizontal gantry. Where the earlier system requires large objects to be stood upright for scanning, GiantEye rotates the X-ray source and detector around objects as they lie in their natural orientation. What's new for high-voltage battery engineers is that objects can stay horizontal throughout, keeping fluid distributions and component positions undisturbed during the scan. Mechanical stress from repositioning, which can distort readings or damage components, is eliminated. "The technology can thus be used for the first time in a production environment, such as in initial production of complex high-voltage battery systems," said Alexander Ennen, head of the Application-Specific Methods and Systems department at Fraunhofer IIS.
The 9 MeV linear accelerator, paired with a high-precision detector and manipulation system, covers materials too dense or thick for conventional industrial CT, including multi-material assemblies in complete vehicles and aircraft components.
Beyond quality assurance, GiantEye targets applications current technology cannot address, including crash test vehicle digitization, end-of-life inspection of large additively manufactured assemblies, and security screening of sealed freight containers. The Gulliver CT system at the Technical University of Kaiserslautern, which has scanned concrete beams under load in three dimensions since 2024, marks an earlier step in the same direction.
Processing the data is the remaining challenge. High-energy CT scans at these object sizes generate volumes that require new reconstruction algorithms, and the Fraunhofer team is developing broader tooling for rapid 3D image evaluation alongside the hardware. A public kick-off event is scheduled for June 12, 2026, at the Fürth site.
