Supporting better cancer treatment
BUMAX recently won an initial order from a customer for 17,000 screws to manufacture a new model of proton cancer therapy machine. Proton therapy machines are a major advancement in the fight against increasing cancer rates around the world as they accurately deliver proton beams to precisely where they are required.
The machine is a more affordable proton therapy machine that is intended to make proton therapy more accessible – to provide better cancer treatment to more people around the world.
Customer demands
The customer required a high-strength stainless steel screw with low magnetic permeability that met the CERN 507 standard to fasten all vacuum parts on the proton machine.
Screws that do not meet the CERN 507 standard risk vacuum leakages and ultimately machine failure. The CERN 507 standard relates specifically to ‘ultra-high vacuum applications and magnetic field stainless steel grade A4-100’. Low magnetic permeability is essential for proton machines to not interfere with the movement of protons.
The BUMAX solution
“Our customer found that BUMAX was the only fastener supplier in the world that was able to manufacture screws to CERN 507,” says Camille Feuillet, Business Development Manager at BUMAX. In fact, BUMAX actually developed the standard together with the CERN Particle Accelerators in Switzerland in recent years to meet their extremely high demands.
“BUMAX was able to fully meet the customer’s requirements by offering high-strength low magnetic permeability BUMAX® 109 screws with silver coating,” explains Feuillet, Business Development Manager at BUMAX. “The BUMAX screws are not susceptible to galling issues, but silver coating is used to avoid potential issues with the screw hole – to completely avoid galling.”
