Back in 1989, Liquid Metal Bearing Technology was developed in Hamburg, Germany and became the “gold standard” for CT and Image Guided Therapy systems.
Let’s Compare Traditional Ball Bearing Tech With CoolGlide™
Traditional Ball Bearing tube technology has lower cooling capacity compared with CoolGlide. The ball bearing serves as an insulating barrier against heat conduction which can result in overheating. When this occurs, you have to pause and wait for the tube to cool between studies, which slows down throughput.
When it comes to workflow, CoolGlide technology has a continuously-rotating anode with constant high speed throughout the entire workday. This speeds up workflow and facilitates increased productivity over the traditional ball bearing technology. Unlike the traditional ball bearing technology, CoolGlide requires no preparation time between every scan.
With CoolGlide, the bearing shaft and sleeve “glide” on a liquid film. This means there’s no direct contact during the operation, so there’s no wear to the device. With traditional ball bearing tubes, the lubricant wears off of the race surfaces and ball, which results in steel-to-steel contact. This can lead to binding or jamming and will reduce the life of the bearing.
Since there is no direct contact between the bearing and the shaft, CoolGlide has no audible bearing noise during the operation of the device. With traditional ball bearings, there’s noise and vibrations whenever the CT Scanner is operating.
Another benefit is the extended lifetime of CoolGlide LMB tubes. Its lifetime can exceed double that of traditional ball bearing tubes.
Finally, traditional ball bearing tubes must be replaced more often than CoolGlide ball bearing tubes. This results in higher service cost, higher system downtime and frequent tube replacement.
Talk To An Expert
If you’re looking for new medical imaging devices for your facility and aren’t sure which is right for you, talk to the experts at Atlantis Worldwide. You might be surprised to learn you can get the performance you want, plus impressive warranties, with used or refurbished equipment instead of buying new at considerably higher costs.
Follow Atlantis Worldwide on Twitter: @AtlantisLLC
Meet the author: Vikki Harmonay