GE Launches New Radiation Shielding Materials
General Electric unveiled a new product line for radiation shielding manufactured from tungsten in nylon 6. The new line eliminates the use of toxic substances in creation of these important tools critical for protecting healthcare providers from radiation exposure during imaging studies, as well as protecting patients.
The line of products from GE Plastics, LNP Thermocomp HSG Radiation Shielding, derived from these materials offers improved freedom in the design of the protective shield worn during imaging studies. Injection molding to manufacture materials reduces production costs while allowing higher volume production. Manufacturing with injection modeling techniques improves part-to-part consistency. This creates shields that are uniform, so that designers have improved control about the level of protection provided.
The material that GE designed shields radiation as effectively as lead; no hot spots or leakage were detected with the ThermoComp product. The materials can be made in a variety of stiffness levels.
GE already established a contract with Thogus Products Compact, a custom injection molder company. The two are collaborating to create additional iterations of the LNP Thermocomp, such as manufacturing a flexible version based on an elastomeric grade of the product. The two are also working to develop a product that has the same specific gravity as lead.
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July 31, 2007 Related topics: Quality, Safety, Errors, Radiology