A really important and sometimes underestimated part of X-Ray Machines is the collimator head. Collimators direct and filter the X-Ray beam through a series of mirrors, lights, and lead leaves. All of these parts are delicate and might require repairing when one of the following goes wrong:

Collimator leaves won’t open

When a collimator won’t open, it is usually caused by an X-Ray tube that is not aligned to the table or chest board. The tube should be locked into position, and the tube carriage must be adjusted to a suggested distance of 40’’ or 72’’ inches. To do this, you move the X-Ray tube across the railing until it clicks into place.

Collimator leaves become misaligned

When the collimator leaf is misaligned, it might produce an image that can seem cut off or moved out of place. Usually, a technician or engineer has to be called in to fix the problem completely, but for an easy fix, you can keep the collimator open during exposure while the engineers are able to fix it.

Collimator head becomes loose

This can occur when the collimator head is misused or mishandled. It is best to loosen the screw when turning the collimator head and be sure not to force the head to move. This can cause the screws to strip, and you will need to replace the whole collimator head.

Collimators are important for radiation safety and image production and don’t require much maintenance. If you are experiencing trouble with your collimator head, it might be due to one of the issues mentioned above. Misaligned and non-opening collimators are two of the most common issues, causing more radiation exposure and low-quality image results.

Here at Medilab Global we strive to provide doctors and facilities with used medical imaging equipment, refurbished medical imaging equipment, or pre-owned medical imaging equipment. If you are looking to purchase medical imaging equipment, make sure to contact us, we are happy to help, and we have refurbished X-ray machines for sale and used X-ray machines for sale!