Cargo screening: it's looking up: at April's passenger terminal expo event in Vienna, Smiths detection launched a new air cargo scanner Tom Allett explains.

The once potentially-flawed security of air cargo shipments is a subject that has received much attention since the terrorist attacks on the US nearly 11 years ago. Since that time, new guidelines have called for 100% screening of air cargo items. Unsurprisingly, thoughts about what threats require the most attention from the security service change in line with the latest incident. Are liquids the most dangerous threat, or is it solid explosives disguised as an everyday item?

Wherever the latest screening focus lies, two things that remain constant are the need for a combination of high-resolution imagery and efficient processing.

The latest tool in the security services armoury is a new, dual-view X-ray inspection system from Smiths Detection that is designed to meet the growing global demands to screen large cargo, pallets and freight items on both passenger and cargo aircraft.

The manufacturer says that the compact HI-SCAN 145180-2is is capable of screening objects up to 57in x 71in (145cm x 180cm), thereby meeting the maximum skid/ pallet size allowed by the US Transportation Security Administration (TSA).

At the Passenger Terminal Expo event held in Vienna in April, Smiths Detection's Hans Schope told Airports International, "The 2is segment of the name represents its dual-view system. It takes two perpendicular pictures of the item to be screened. The images are generated by two x-ray sources; one below the scanner and the other set at 90[degrees] to that." The HI-SCAN 145180-2is has a small pitch roller-conveyor system built inside which is designed to ensure that the cargo/baggage item has a very smooth ride through the machine, thereby enabling a very stable and therefore sharp x-ray image to be produced. This is the first time that Smiths Detection has provided a view from underneath on a machine of this size.

The dual-view capability speeds throughput by providing the operator with two high-resolution adjoining images, eliminating the need to scan twice to obtain the same information.

"Another important thing to point out is the 2is is built on top of a very low platform, just a few inches above the ground, as this makes it much easier to manoeuvre large and/or heavy items onto the start of the roller system than it would be if it were higher. The low height of the roller platform is possible thanks a new compact generator that we have produced; small enough to fit under the machine's platform and rollers. They are strong too; they are able to handle loads weighing up to 1,000kgs per metre and you can load items of up to five tons at a time onto the motor-driven roller system.

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"Competing machines that do not have this compact generator need a platform height of around 60-80cm, so this is the lowest-loading machine with an underside scanning facility on the market. It is also able to scan larger cargo items than any other machines that can scan from underneath."

When the item has been scanned through its entire length, computer software pieces all the images together into a single high-resolution picture for the security screener to observe. Mr Schope says that the provision of the underside generator provides a higher level of image detail than was previously available, explaining: "With its generator being located underneath, its scanner is significantly closer to the scanned item than it would be if it was placed on top of the machine. This provides better image quality and, for example, it enables the screener to pick out items such as small wires much more easily than before."

Mr Schope points out that the idea to provide an underside scanner was purely an internal one. He said: "We talk to our customers of course, and ascertain from them what height above the ground they can realistically handle cargo items at, but the original thoughts about incorporating an underside x-ray scanner came from us."

This particular product was launched in the first week of April and by the end of that month it had attracted 27 orders. The first HI-SCAN 145180-2is unit is already in service with a cargo handling agent at a UK airport.

Mal Maginnis, President, Smiths Detection, said: "A smooth flow of air cargo is critical to the global economy. Our new, advanced X-ray inspection system will allow shippers to screen bulk items without the requirement of unpacking shipments, scanning individual boxes and then re-assembling the pallet or large shipment. The HI-SCAN 145180-2is, which also features a highly compact footprint, will save our customers both precious time and money."

As the machine was designed from the outset to meet all the latest Transport Security Administration (TSA) regulations, it is expected to receive the majority of its orders from the North American market, though it is also entirely compatible with European Union requirements. At the moment, Smiths Detection says that delivery times for the 2is are the same as for any of its other screening machines; around 8-10 weeks from date of order.