Service Life and Maintenance Points of Flat Panel Detector

“How long is the service life of a flat panel detector?” This is a frequently asked question from numerous users when inquiring about the product. The main reason behind this is that users lack sufficient understanding of flat panel detectors and have not yet mastered scientific maintenance methods.

After long-term use or a certain number of exposures, aging and damage to flat panel detectors are inevitable. Normally, dead pixels within 5 units can be repaired through software; if the number of dead pixels exceeds 10, irreversible white spots will form. As the number of exposures increases, single-point damage may even develop into large damaged areas.

From the perspective of professional specifications, flat panel detectors need to be calibrated every 3 to 6 months, which is also a reasonable requirement that hospitals should clearly put forward to manufacturers during the procurement and installation stage. In addition, most current DR devices have opened the calibration procedure for flat panel detectors, and manufacturers will explicitly require hospitals to complete the calibration operation within the specified cycle.

Different types of flat panel detectors have different adaptability to the environment: amorphous selenium detectors are sensitive to low temperatures, while amorphous silicon detectors are vulnerable to moisture. Therefore, ensuring a suitable working environment is crucial. During use, the environment of the equipment room must be strictly regulated in accordance with the manufacturer’s requirements, and dehumidifiers and air conditioners must be equipped, otherwise the equipment will be extremely prone to damage. At the same time, radiation will damage the conversion layer of the detector, accelerating its aging and reducing work efficiency, and the degree of this damage is directly related to the cumulative radiation dose.

In conclusion, the service life of a flat panel detector directly depends on whether the daily maintenance is scientific and in place.

Author：Newheek-Detector