Varian Introduces New Line of Portable High-Energy X-ray Devices for Industrial Applications

SALT LAKE CITY, Oct. 22, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- ANST booth #333 – Varian Medical Systems (NYSE:VAR) is introducing a new, portable industrial linear accelerator—a high-energy X-ray generator for industrial applications—that is powerful enough to penetrate steel, concrete, or other materials yet small and light enough to be easily moved from place to place.  The new Linatron® Xp can be integrated into imaging systems for pipeline testing, perimeter security, vehicle inspection, and many other infrastructure inspection and first responder applications.

"This technology can be used to investigate a bomb threat," said Bob Drubka, vice president and general manager of Varian's Security and Industrial Products.  "Picture that there's an object of interest—some kind of box—and you don't know what's inside.  The new Linatron Xp can be used to quickly determine if you have a device that's going to hurt people.  Paired with one of Varian's high-energy PaxScan® digital image detectors, it can be used to generate immediate, real-time images in order to quickly assess the situation and ascertain how to neutralize the threat."

Varian offers both liquid-cooled and air-cooled versions of the Linatron Xp depending on the environment or the application.  "The liquid-cooled version is for what we call 'high duty' applications, where you need to keep the X-ray beam on for longer periods of time.  It is designed to run continually without having to stop for it to cool down—for example, when performing routine inspection of oil or gas pipelines," Drubka said.  "The air-cooled version is designed to be used in short bursts, with thermal recovery periods in between—like when checking out a package in the context of a bomb threat."

Designed for quick setup and teardown, the Linatron Xp weighs less than 250 pounds—roughly 1/10^th the weight of a full-sized industrial linear accelerator.  It fits into two cases that can each be moved by two people.  It is easily integrated with Varian's PaxScan 2530HE flat-panel digital image detector, or it can be built into systems using computed radiography or film for fast, real-time digital imaging. 

"The Linatron Xp fills a void in the marketplace, because there is no other compact solution that operates at high energy—between 0.95 and 1.35 megavolts, which is right in between the energy of an X-ray tube and a full-sized industrial linear accelerator," Drubka said.  "It also operates at a wide range of temperatures and, unlike other technologies, utilizes no cobalt sources, so there's no radioactive waste to dispose of or to possibly fall into the wrong hands and turn up in a dirty bomb."

The Linatron Xp is manufactured in Varian's ISO 9001 certified manufacturing facility.  It is an extension of the technology behind the company's proven high-energy Linatron accelerators for non-destructive testing, inspection, security, and cargo screening applications.

Varian will introduce the Linatron Xp industrial linear accelerator at the 2015 annual conference of the American Society for Nondestructive Testing (ANST) in Salt Lake City next week. 

About Varian Medical Systems
Varian Medical Systems, Inc., of Palo Alto, California, focuses energy on saving lives by equipping the world with advanced technology for fighting cancer and for X-ray imaging.  The company is the world's leading manufacturer of medical devices and software for treating cancer and other medical conditions with radiation. The company provides comprehensive solutions for radiotherapy, radiosurgery, proton therapy and brachytherapy. The company supplies informatics software for managing comprehensive cancer clinics, radiotherapy centers and medical oncology practices. Varian is also a premier supplier of X-ray imaging components, including tubes, digital detectors, and image processing software and workstations for use in medical, scientific, and industrial settings, as well as for security and non-destructive testing.  Varian Medical Systems employs approximately 6,900 people who are located at manufacturing sites in North America, Europe, and China and approximately 70 sales and support offices around the world.  For more information, visit www.varian.com or follow us on Twitter.

Press Contact

Spencer Sias
Varian Medical Systems
650-424-5782 
[email protected]

SOURCE Varian Medical Systems, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.varian.com