Gamma Ray Thickness Gauge - Longer Life & Amp; Reliable

If you are going to x-ray, you need to have shutters and shielding also. Scatter rays still remain some problem and they become less and less with distance from the sensor. Good enclosure and direction beam does the job very properly. Like the way you keep away from oven and running cutters, one can also keep away from middling with radiation source. I agree that radiation sources are like sleeping lion so you can not play with them or use the rad source for soccer etc. You need to have the rad source in a cage (shielded box full of lead). Considering that RoHS is another nut game, Lead will sound another serious problem, but it is really not that way for the shielding materials.

Radioactive materials have been a serious problem of being abandoned, discarded or getting stolen and then accidentally exposing people who were least aware of their presence. This point will always remain a very serious one.

Perhaps x-rays in that case are better as these are produced using power and on demand and do not exist all the time. X-rays will have some number problem but not a very serious one if two detectors were to be used. One for input beam and another for the sensing beam output.

Now that XRF devices already in use to detect type of elements present on circuit boards etc. They will remain in use for long for material testing. They are of low power so you can call them domestic cat and not forest lion.

There are X-Ray devices that run on about 110Volts initially and produce enough radiation to go through 1/4" of steel. I know, I have one. Once turned off, you don't have to worry about highly toxic sources!!!

Also, during the current political atmosphere, I'd be surprised if you could get a hold or mass market a device with a gamma Ray source!

You said it right.