Hamburg-based deep tech startup MuRay has raised €7.1 million to develop an industrial imaging system capable of seeing through dense metals, ceramics and composite materials. The technology could allow aerospace and defence manufacturers to inspect rocket engines, turbine components and 3D-printed metal parts that are difficult to examine using conventional X-ray systems.
The funding includes €3.5 million in private investment led by First Momentum Ventures and co-led by Caelora. Other investors include Superangel VC, Nordic Science Investments, Mätch VC, Arcas VC and Tiny VC. Another €3.6 million comes from non-dilutive public funding, including support from the EU’s Horizon Europe programme.
MuRay is developing a technology called Active Muon Imaging, which uses a beam of muons to generate three-dimensional images of an object’s interior. Muons are subatomic particles capable of passing through extremely dense materials. According to the company, its system could image components through more than a metre or three feet of steel.
The technology is particularly important to 3D printing, where complex metal components can contain internal defects that are difficult to detect without destroying the part. Rocket engines, turbine blades and other safety-critical components increasingly rely on 3D printing to produce geometries that would be difficult or impossible to manufacture using traditional methods.
MuRay says its imaging technology can distinguish between materials based on their composition and density, rather than simply identifying differences in density as conventional X-ray imaging does. The company also claims inspection times measured in minutes rather than hours, potentially allowing manufacturers to incorporate the technology directly into production and quality assurance processes.
“X-rays reach their limit at a few centimetres of steel, yet much of modern industry, from reusable rockets to gas turbines, is built from metal far thicker than that,” said Dr Andi Hektor, MuRay’s co-founder and co-CEO. “Active muon imaging lets manufacturers see inside those large, dense components.”
MuRay’s initial commercial service is scheduled to launch in early 2027. It will combine the company’s detectors and imaging system with DESY’s existing electron beam infrastructure in Hamburg. A complete system incorporating MuRay’s own laser-driven accelerator is planned for 2029.
MuRay is also exploring security applications, including the detection of nuclear materials concealed inside dense cargo. These systems could provide another inspection method for materials that are difficult to identify using conventional X-ray equipment.
The new funding will support further development of the accelerator, detectors and AI-based image reconstruction software.
Muon scanning is a hard problem. MuRay’s immediate challenge is to turn laboratory physics into an industrial inspection service. If its technology performs as intended, it could give manufacturers a new way to examine components that are currently difficult to inspect, with potential applications across multiple industries.
