R&S®IMAGER millimeter wave imaging

Q: What is millimeter wave imaging?

Millimeter wave imaging is a non-ionizing, non-destructive inspection technology that uses electromagnetic waves to look inside packaging material. This allows a product to be inspected for defects, unwanted objects or missing components without removing the packaging.

Q: What benefits does millimeter wave imaging offer in contrast to camera-, X-ray- or weight-based systems?

Millimeter wave imaging is superior to traditional camera-based systems because it can see through opaque packaging. Unlike X-rays, it’s non-ionizing and safe for both humans and products. Weight-based systems are excellent at detecting variations in weight, but they provide no structural information. Although they can tell that a component is missing, they cannot tell which component is missing or whether a component is positioned incorrectly. Millimeter wave imaging, on the other hand, provides clear images that provide information on the exact content and position - regardless of weight, form or packaging type.

Q: Can products be moved during the scan?

Yes, modern millimeter wave systems can scan objects at high conveyor belt speeds without movement-induced blur. As such, it can be easily integrated into existing production and logistics processes.

Q: Is the technology safe for employees and scanned products?

Yes, millimeter wave imaging uses non-ionizing radiation that is completely safe for humans, food, pharmaceuticals and electronics.

Q: How are images generated through millimeter wave technology?

The scanned object is illuminated with millimeter wave radiation. How the electromagnetic waves are reflected or transmitted conveys information about the object's internal structure. Advanced algorithms translate this information into depth-resolved inages.

Q: What kind of materials can millimeter wave imaging reveal?

Materials that reflect millimeter waves will be visible. Metals and materials with high water content are highly reflective. This means that R&S®IMAGER will not display objects hidden behind metals or within fluids.

Q: Is there any motion blur with moving objects?

Virtually none. The R&S®IMAGER captures images in mere milliseconds, making it largely immune to motion blur. Motion can even enhance motion clarity, thanks to the system's ISAR algorithms which combine images from multiple perspectives.

Q: What are the limitations of millimeter wave imaging?

Millimeter wave imaging can't see through metals or liquids because these materials are highly reflective. However, this limitation is actually a benefit in many scenarios. For example, you want the waves to reflect off liquids if you're trying to detect product leakages.

Q: Can images larger than the device's actual size be produced?

Yes. With the ISAR technique, objects moved beneath the R&S®IMAGER (for example, on a conveyor belt) yield larger and more detailed images due to the multiple scanning positions.

Q: Is millimeter wave imaging a costly process?

It is surprisingly affordable! Rohde & Schwarz is an established manufacturer of personnel scanners for airports and other high-security locations. This has enabled us to bulk produce chips and hardware, making our equipment more cost effective. Depending on your application, the R&S®IMAGER may even be more economic than a traditional weight-based system.

Real-time industrial imaging

Millimeter wave (mmW) imaging is a non-destructive, non-ionizing inspection technology that enables penetration through common packing materials such as plastics, cardboard, composites and textiles. It’s widely recognized for its ability to provide safe, high-resolution subsurface imaging without harming products or operators. During scanning, an object is illuminated by broadband mmW radiation. The reflected or transmitted electromagnetic waves carry information about internal structures due to material-specific differences in dielectric properties. Sensor arrays capture these signals and convert them into digital datasets. Advanced algorithms translate amplitude and phase variations into depth-resolved images, enabling detection of hidden anomalies, missing components, moisture or density changes.

The R&S®IMAGER is a mmW imager designed for high-speed inline inspection. Its hardware trigger inputs guarantee precise, real-time capture. The generated high-contrast images can be used for non-destructive quality assurance across pharmaceutical, logistics and production workflows.

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Video: mmW imaging and its applications

Learn about mmW imaging with our expert, Andreas von Lösecke!

Andreas goes over the history of mmW imaging at Rohde & Schwarz and explains the working principle behind the technology. He also covers the potential applications of mmW imaging in various industries. Finally, a live demonstration at the end of the video shows the R&S®IMAGER in action.

Want to discuss your mmW imaging needs with us?

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Pharmaceutical packaging inspection

The R&S®IMAGER delivers excellent visibility into secondary and combination-product packaging without compromising sterility or product integrity. It penetrates multilayer materials, such as cardboard, plastic and laminated packaging, to detect missing components, assembly errors and hidden effects that traditional camera- or weight-based systems routinely miss.

As mmW energy is non-ionizing, the R&S®IMAGER is a GMP-compliant inspection technology. It minimizes risk during high-volume production of injectables, vials, PFS and autoinjectors. Real-time inline imaging with high-resolution, multi-slice scans enables 100% completeness verification at production speed, improving patient safety and reducing costly recalls.

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Package inspection for logistics

Today’s supply chains handle millions of parcels daily, and traditional surface-based inspection methods can’t verify what’s inside sealed boxes. The R&S®IMAGER overcomes this by seeing through opaque packaging materials in real time, enabling automated detection of hidden items, incorrect contents, void space, damage and packing errors – all tested at conveyor speeds.

Imaging-based logistics systems also reduce the need for manual inspections and avoid the safety and regulatory burdens of X-ray technologies, providing human-safe, high-throughput parcel screening. By enabling automated quality checks, anomaly detection and content verification, mmW imaging improves throughput, lowers operational costs, enhances inventory accuracy and supports more sustainable packaging practices.

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Food and beverage quality inspection

The R&S®IMAGER delivers powerful advantages for the food and beverage industry, enabling non-destructive, human-safe inspection of sealed cases, cartons and multipacks. It sees through opaque packaging to detect missing items, broken products or filling inconsistencies in real time – crucial for preventing defective goods from entering the supply chain.

With high-speed scanning at industrial conveyor speeds, mmW inspection strengthens quality assurance, reduces waste and supports compliance with strict food safety and distribution standards.

The R&S®IMAGER records complex signals, including amplitude and phase information. This allows even tiny deviations to be detected. For example, it can be used to verify the vacuum seal of glass containers.