In the last year MagnaServ also built a coil repair facility and now repairs its own coil and brought a lot of repairs in house.

The company also hired six field service engineers and hired a new coil repair person and is expanding the front office staff to accommodate the increase in its service base.


After an increase in business in 2009, Oxford also has been increasing its number of employees.

"We're seeing increases in individual imaging centers with magnet support and cryogen support," says Freund. "We are now looking to hire two more engineers."

They also have been IAMERS approved, and to them, it is an important distinction for the company.

"I think that raises the bar on quality in the industry and I think having that certification is very important, just as being a DOTmed 100 member is an important distinction," Freund says. "There are a lot of people out there who say they know what they are doing but really shouldn't be touching magnets. You need to be a professional."

Challenges in Industry

As magnet designs evolve it becomes more and more important to fully understand the procedures required to both cool down magnets as well as to perform routine top-offs. Using the equipment designed for the appropriate magnets is also essential.

"A lot of magnets now don't come fitted with helium siphons because the consumption is so low, it's a service tool," Freund says. "It's important that you have the right siphon for the right magnet or you can have efficiency problems. You need to have the right equipment."

Hoffman believes that magnet owners are frustrated by the exorbitant costs of delivering compressed gas cylinders required to charge the 4K cryorefrigeration systems.

"Owners are paying more for delivery than the cost of the service itself," he says. "There is an extreme challenge in finding a common carrier or expedited delivery agent that is able to deliver to all locations in the country at a reasonable cost."

According to Gregory, the biggest challenge in the industry is keeping up with the systems and not letting them blow off an excessive amount of helium.

"In the past, that wasn't such a big deal because the cost of equipment actually outweighed the cost of letting helium burn off, but now due to recent increases and shortages, we really have to get in and change the cold heads and compressors and such if we do notice a problem," he says. "You have to have a good relationship with your sites and techs and we've really had to get those guys involved in checking the helium every day and keeping detailed logs to include power outages and any chiller problems."

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