X-ray irradiator

What is an X-ray irradiator?

It is a self-shielded cabinet that delivers a controlled radiation dose to a sample: electronics, calibration standards or biological material. Ours runs up to 225 kV and 4,500 W with a dose output above 12 Gy/min unfiltered at 30 cm from the source. Because the shielding is built in, the whole thing installs in a normal laboratory instead of a concrete bunker.

See: Cabinet, dose and control specification, Where a cabinet beats a bunker

X-ray irradiator dose rate

The published figure is 12 Gy/min or higher unfiltered, and 6 Gy/min or higher filtered, both measured at 225 kV with a 30 cm source-to-sample distance. Change the energy, the distance or the beam filter and the number changes with them, which is why the two figures are quoted against a fixed set of conditions. Dose stability at a set energy is held to a level in line with established irradiators.

See: Dose output and stability

Does an X-ray irradiator need a shielded room?

Not this one. Leakage is certified below 0.1 mR/hr by a national atomic-energy regulator, so the dose is delivered inside a steel-lead-steel cabinet rather than behind a shielded wall. That removes the room build from the project, which is often the largest single line in a bunker-based irradiator budget. You still operate under your own national radiation authority.

See: Certified leakage and installation, The cost the bunker adds

X-ray irradiator vs gamma irradiator

The practical difference is the source. An X-ray unit makes radiation only when powered, so there is no sealed radioactive material to license, secure, transport or eventually dispose of. Ours is a 225 kV cabinet with electronic control of energy and dose. For research and hardness testing that need a beam on demand rather than a fixed isotope activity, the electrical source removes a large regulatory and security burden. We do not publish an isotope-equivalent activity figure.

See: How the electrical source is controlled

X-ray irradiator for radiation-hardness testing of satellite electronics

This is one of the design uses. The cabinet reaches 225 kV with a programmable motorised sample shelf, an adjustable collimator with a coincident light field for aiming, and interchangeable beam-conditioning filters so the spectrum can be set for the test. An optional internal dosimeter measures the delivered dose directly rather than inferring it. Total-dose work on space parts wants a stable, repeatable beam at a known dose rate, which is what the stability and dose figures describe.

See: Collimator, filters and dosimeter options, Space-grade electronics we also support

Small-animal irradiator for a biological research laboratory

The chamber is 600 by 420 by 430 mm in stainless steel with an adjustable shelf, and the accessory list runs from CCTV specimen monitoring to tumour-targeting restrainers and autoclavable small-animal fixtures. The collimator carries a coincident light field so a target area can be positioned under visible light before the exposure. Dose delivery is set on the touch-screen and can be measured with the optional internal dosimeter. Protocol approval for live-subject work remains yours to obtain.

See: Chamber and research accessories

Bench irradiator that runs on a standard single-phase laboratory supply

It runs on 220 VAC plus or minus 10 percent, 50 or 60 Hz, single phase, so it does not need three-phase power brought to the bench. Combined with the certified low leakage, that keeps the site works small: a suitable circuit and floor space rather than a services upgrade and a shielded room. Confirm the floor loading for the cabinet and the local circuit rating at survey stage.

See: Power and installation figures, Siting against a bunker install

Programmable irradiator with repeatable exposure presets for a calibration lab

The GUI touch-screen control covers 5 to 225 kV, 0.1 to 30 mA and exposure times from 1 to 99,999 seconds, with an unlimited number of password-protected presets. A calibration workflow lives or dies on repeatability, so locking a validated energy, current and time as a named, protected preset means the same exposure runs the same way every session. The optional internal dosimeter closes the loop by measuring what was actually delivered.

See: Control range and preset handling

Can the irradiator chamber and energy be tailored to a non-standard sample?

Yes. Beyond the standard 225 kV cabinet, custom irradiator designs are offered from 20 to 450 kV with chambers of any size, so an unusual sample envelope or a lower or higher energy band can be built rather than worked around. The standard chamber is 600 by 420 by 430 mm; anything outside that becomes a design conversation. Bring the sample dimensions, the target dose rate and the energy you need to the first technical review.

See: Standard cabinet and custom range, The one team behind the custom build

We want to run total-dose testing on our own parts in-country instead of buying beam time abroad. Is a cabinet irradiator the way to do that?

For most laboratory-scale total-dose work, yes. A self-shielded 225 kV cabinet installs in a standard laboratory with certified leakage below 0.1 mR/hr, so you own the schedule and the results rather than queuing for a foreign facility and shipping parts across a border. The energy, current and dose are all set on the console with password-protected presets, and an internal dosimeter can measure the delivered dose. What the cabinet will not do is replace a high-energy accelerator campaign; match the machine to the dose band you actually test.

See: In-lab dose delivery, no bunker, Keeping the capability inside your jurisdiction

How do we know the dose a sample received, rather than estimating it from the settings?

Fit the optional internal dosimeter. It measures the dose for exact measurement and control at the sample, which turns an inferred figure from the kV, mA and time settings into a recorded one. That distinction matters when a hardness-test result or a calibration certificate has to survive review: the console preset tells you what you asked for, and the dosimeter tells you what was delivered. Traceability of the dosimeter itself to a national standard is arranged through your own metrology chain.

See: Internal dosimeter and console control

Our regulator will want proof of low leakage and a clear operating envelope. What does the irradiator publish for that submission?

Two figures anchor the submission. Leakage is certified below 0.1 mR/hr by a national atomic-energy regulator in the steel-lead-steel cabinet, and the operating envelope is stated as 5 to 225 kV, 0.1 to 30 mA and 1 to 99,999 second exposures on the touch-screen. Focal spot is 1.2 mm or 5.5 mm to EN 12543 with 2.0 mm beryllium inherent filtration. Present these against your own authority's requirements; the certificate we hold speaks to the issuing regulator, and your national approval is a separate step.

See: Leakage, focal spot and filtration, Regulatory path and support

Why choose an independent supplier for an irradiator when the major brands are well known?

An irradiator underwrites how you qualify your own electronics or run your own research, so who controls the source, the spares and the service calendar is a strategic question, not just a purchasing one. The cabinet, the control system and the support come from one non-aligned team rather than sitting behind another country's export approvals. That means the machine keeps running on your timetable, and the test data about which of your parts survive radiation stays with you.

See: One accountable team, non-aligned supply, Full irradiator specification

We already have a general X-ray facility. Does an irradiator overlap with it, or does it do a different job?

Different job. A radiography or CT system passes a beam through a part to image its internal condition; an irradiator delivers a measured dose to change or test the sample. You would use radiography to inspect a casting for cracks, and an irradiator to see how a circuit behaves after a known total dose. The two often sit in the same programme, and buying both from one team keeps the sources, the shielding advice and the service on a single supply line.

See: What the irradiator delivers, Radiography and CT alongside it

What is the largest sample the standard cabinet takes, and what happens if our sample is bigger?

The standard chamber is 600 by 420 by 430 mm in stainless steel with an adjustable shelf, so anything inside that envelope fits the catalogue cabinet directly. If the sample is larger, the custom design route covers 20 to 450 kV with chambers of any size, meaning the enclosure is built to the part rather than the part cut to fit. There is a trade to discuss: a bigger chamber changes the geometry and therefore the dose rate at the sample, which is why sizing starts from the dose you need and works outward.

See: Standard chamber and custom chambers, Shielding for a larger enclosure

What is X-ray irradiator?

X-ray irradiator is Unstrat's Land (Land Domain) capability: The X-ray irradiator delivers a known dose to a sample, repeatably, inside a self-shielded laboratory cabinet, the controlled radiation source behind radiation-hardness testing of electronics, detector and dosimeter calibration, materials studies and biological research. The 225 kV, 4,500 W system delivers dose rates of 12 Gy per minute and above with an unfiltered beam at 30 cm, holds them stable at a set energy, and exposes samples on a programmable motorised shelf with an adjustable collimator and coincident light field for precise placement. Exposure control runs from a GUI touch screen: 5 to 225 kV, 0.1 to 30 mA, unlimited password-protected presets, and an optional internal dosimeter for exact dose measurement and control. The steel-lead-steel cabinet meets AERB safety guidelines with certified leakage below 0.1 mR/hr, so it installs in a standard laboratory without a bunker. Accessories extend it from physics to life science, from CCTV specimen monitoring and circular collimators to restrainers for tumour targeting and autoclavable small-animal fixtures, and custom designs cover 20 to 450 kV with chambers of any size. For a research establishment qualifying components or running dose-response studies, it is a dependency-free irradiation capability inside the building.

How does X-ray irradiator work?

X-ray irradiator delivers its effect through up to 225 kV and 4,500 W with dose output of 12 Gy/min and above, unfiltered, at 30 cm SSD, Consistent dose at a set energy with stability on par with industry-leading irradiators and GUI touch-screen control: 5 – 225 kV, 0.1 – 30 mA, exposure 1 – 99,999 s, unlimited password-protected presets, capabilities matched to the requirement and confirmed under briefing rather than published.

Who makes X-ray irradiator?

X-ray irradiator is built by The NDT Systems House, whose focus is non-destructive testing. Unstrat represents The NDT Systems House to government and enterprise buyers worldwide as an independent, non-aligned prime vendor.

Why choose X-ray irradiator over a major-power alternative?

X-ray irradiator is sourced from an independent, non-aligned manufacturer, so it carries no major-power disclosure rules, upgrade-locks or political ramifications. Concretely: certified leakage below 0.1 mR/hr in a steel-lead-steel cabinet: dose delivery inside the building, not behind concrete. The capability is accountable to you, not to a foreign vendor's government and its release schedule.

How is X-ray irradiator procured, and where can it be exported?

A self-shielded 225 kV irradiation capability that installs in a standard laboratory, for radiation-hardness testing, calibration and biological research without a bunker. Every engagement begins with a briefing, and export eligibility is confirmed per market under briefing rather than published. Where controlled capabilities are involved, the classification and end-user-certificate chain is confirmed first. X-ray irradiator is then sustained in-region by one accountable team from briefing through long-term operation.