New EPB power systems

Since the beginning Eurocolumbus adopted the technical choice of having the generator separated from the X-Ray complex; the EPB (Eurocolumbus Power Boost) system has been developed and introduced in series production for about a year.

EPB has been specifically developed for clinical applications where high instantaneous power peaks are required (impulsive absorption), while allowing the withdrawal of the required energy from existing electrical grid equipped with 13 - 16 A electrical plugs.
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The EPB system stores a large amount of energy inside itself; then this energy is made available in addition to that supplied by the electrical grid thanks to the use of a modulating converter.

Only on 12 or 25 kW

Flat Panel Detector

Eurocolumbus began to collaborate since 2004 with the company that was and is one of the largest producers of Flat Panel Detectors in the world, VARIAN (today VAREX).

Thanks to this collaboration, Eurocolumbus was the first Company to install a C-arm with this new technology in Italy.

The experience accumulated during the recent years and the huge steps ahead taken in the treatment of images allow to say that today the software part is more important than any hardware part of the video chain.

However this cannot ignore that the Flat Panel Detector must have some important features,cregardless of the technology used, namely:
• Ensure real 16-bit acquisition
• DQE ≥ to 75%
• MTF ≥ to 55%

X-Ray tube

alien e and alien x uses the latest generation X-Ray tubes with Titanium, Zirconium and Molybdenum (TZM) plate. The advantages compared to the use of pure Molybdenum plates are: better resistancec to creep, higher recrystallization temperature, higher heat resistance.

• 400-600-857kHU kHU anodic capacity (model depending)
• 104-154-178 kHU/min anodic dissipation (model depending)
• High speed anode rotation
• 0,3x0,5- 0,3x0,6- 0,6x1.0 mm dual focal spots (model depending)
• 1200 W housing dissipation

WAD + EHC

WAD (Water Aided Dissipation): cooling system of the X-Ray tube; thanks to the combination of dielectric oil management inside the radiological complex, the coolant and the advanced heat exchanger, there are no fans in the sterile field.

EHC (Eurocolumbus Heat Control): real-time control of the heat produced with immediate actions to change frames / sec and/or pulse and/or imaging and radiological parameters, to ensure optimal system working and avoid overheating.

RDW - EBF ABS

alien e and alien x is equipped with all the classic dose reduction systems:
• Digital rotation of images
• C-arm position storage
• Collimator position storage
• Virtual collimator
• Pulse / frame rate automatic set up
• Laser FPD side and/or X-Ray tube side (optional)


But the greater dose reduction have to be attributed to the new EBF system (Eurocolumbus Beam Filtration) which, depending on the anatomical technique used and the body district to be examined, by means of a motorized rotating collimator, automatically inserts additional filters to reduce the radiation issued.

EDM -EAC

The EDM and EAC functions guarantee images always perfectly exposed and with the lowest possible dose, even if the image is not perfectly centered. The two functions act in real time thanks to a closed loop control “image quality - radiological parameters”

The EDM and EAC functions guarantee images always perfectly exposed and with the lowest possible dose, even if the image is not perfectly centered. The two functions act in real time thanks to a closed loop control “image quality - radiological parameters”
The EDM function (Eurocolumbus Dose Management) adapts the dose to the characteristics of the body district under examination, the evaluation is made at each point of the detector.
The EAC function (Eurocolumbus Automatic Control) determines and sets the correct exposure time to obtain the lowest possible dose. Both functions act in r eal time.

EPD anticollision system

Safety first! The new volumetric systems EPD (Eurocolumbus Proximity Detection) can have different and independent set up for the FPD side and for the X-Ray tube side, both upper and lower cover. EPD perceives the proximity of anatomical or metal parts by simultaneously stopping the movement of the C-arm before any collision.

There are two fundamental reasons why this system is called “smart”: First: the system intervenes and stops all the movements of the C-arm “before” the collision takes place. Second: in case the active anti-collision system intervenes during the X-Ray emission, all the C-arm movements are stopped, but this does not interfere with the X-Ray emission.

EtherCAT

Eurocolumbus was the first Italian company to use the new EtherCAT technology, by far the fastest Ethernet technology. EtherCAT allows synchronization times with magnitude of nanoseconds.

The use of EtherCAT technology brings significant benefits in terms of speed and reliability to all the Applications developed and therefore installed on the systems. The efficiency of the Applications increases thanks to the reduction of waiting times in the transitions between the various phases of the processes.