Varian Medical Systems, Inc., Palo Alto, CA is the leading independent manufacturer of X-ray tubes and digital detectors for X-ray imaging in medical, scientific and industrial applications. In its most recent fiscal year ended September 2007, the company reported revenues of $1.8 billion, of which X-ray products contributed $258 million. Varian's X-ray products business based in Salt Lake City, UT supplies powerful and technologically advanced X-ray tubes to many large manufacturers all over the world. David Hurlock, international marketing manager for Varian Interay said that Varian Interay manufactures cost effective replacement medical X-ray tubes in diagnostic equipment made by GE, Hitachi, Philips, Shimadzu, Siemens and Toshiba.

Hurlock explained differences between digital radiographic flat-panel detectors and image intensifiers. The digital radiographic flat-panel detector is a replacement of film in radiographic systems and image intensifiers in fluoroscopy systems. "Flat panels offer several advantages to conventional analog systems," says Hurlock. "Digital radiographic flat panels are more sensitive to X-rays and can potentially reduce the radiation dose to a patient." He also said that the temporal resolution of images from flat-panel detectors is better than that of images from IIs, reducing the potential for blurring due to motion. "We see a trend developing toward significantly larger X-ray tube requirements for digital X-ray systems, including those with flat panels. The equipment operators are getting more through-put with digital systems, increasing the duty cycle of the tubes. These digital systems require greater ability to dissipate heat than do tubes used with analog systems," states Robert Hibdon, vice president and general manager, Varian Interay.

Bernard Glas, vice president of marketing and sales at Adam Medical Sales, Inc. in Brooklyn, NY says that Adam offers short warranties on CT tubes - 60, sometimes 90 days. "If also depends on customer's usage too," says Glas. "If we know the CT tube will have 'light use," we may extend the warranty to 90 days." Glas went on to stay that companies like STAT Medical would give a longer warranty because they have better capabilities to test and forecast the life of an X-ray tube. "I can light the tube up and visually check it, but a company like STAT has all the equipment necessary to disassemble a tube and test all components," says Glas.

STAT Medical X-ray Tubes, Inc. does offer a warranty of 12 months pro rated and some 24 month warranties on their new X-ray tubes. Remanufactured tubes usually carry a 90-day to 12 month warranty depending on the tube. Tim Davis, president of STAT Medical X-ray Tubes, Inc. has found a true nitch in the X-ray tube market and its working. STAT specializes in unique, hard to find tubes including stationery anode, monoblocs, cath/angio, and CT tubes. "We have the ability to reload and source hard to find tubes," says Davis. "When I started this business in 1993, I had 1,250 square feet of space and last year we moved into a 2 million dollar building." Davis attributes some of his success to the fact that there aren't many tube loading facilities left in the United States and that has helped his business grow. He also said that STAT deals with tubes that other companies choose not to deal with. "There's a need out there for hard to find angio and CT used tubes and we will provide them, or fix them and add a significant warranty," says Davis.

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