Zecotek's Working Closely With European Healthcare OEM as It Prepares to Open Its LFS Crystal Manufacturing Facility
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, June 11, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Zecotek Photonics Inc. (TSX-V: ZMS) (Frankfurt: W1I.F) (OTCPK: ZMSPF), a developer of leading-edge photonics technologies for healthcare, industrial and scientific markets, is pleased to announce that it is working closely with a tier 1, healthcare OEM based in Europe to assure quality control protocols within its new Lutetium Fine Silicate (LFS) scintillation crystals manufacturing facility in Shanghai. The healthcare OEM originally ordered LFS crystals for a new line of high resolution positron emission tomography PET/CT medical imaging devices in October 2017. After testing and qualifying Zecotek's arrays produced in China, the healthcare OEM has since made a larger scale order of arrays for final design. The OEM has also deployed personnel to assist with the setup of the crystal growing facility, with higher production volumes to commence later this year.
"We have worked closely with our largest customers to ensure that the LFS scintillation crystals produced in our Shanghai facility meet their exacting standards," said Dr. A.F. Zerrouk, Chairman, President, and CEO of Zecotek Photonics Inc. "It is a very exciting time for our Company as we look to begin production of our patented LFS crystals within the next three weeks as site preparation and renovations are now complete. We have benefited from working closely with our customers and specifically the European healthcare OEM, in the setting up of quality control protocols to meet the highest industry standards. We are looking forward to supplying our crystals to the aforementioned European customer as well as other large OEM customers, building high resolution PET machines."
By establishing its own crystal manufacturing facility in Shanghai, the Company is strategically positioning itself to become a dominant supplier. Scintillation crystals play a vital role in fundamental in healthcare, science, industrial and security applications, where they are used to convert high-energy photons into visible light. Zecotek's patented LFS scintillation material with all its variants are known to have superior operating attributes and were developed specifically for use in medical imaging systems, high-energy physics experiments, and other applications.
Zecotek has attracted Chinese and international medical device OEMs, including the tier 1 European OEM adopting LFS crystals, to use the fast and bright LFS scintillation crystals in new generation PET and PET/CT medical scanning devices. New and more efficient readout systems, combined with faster and brighter crystals and more sensitive photo detectors, have created the technological environment where the new devices are being readied for the medical markets with far superior operating systems than current devices being used in hospitals today. Medical officials around the world are seeking faster, higher resolution scanning devices as aging populations place greater demands on their respective healthcare systems.
Zecotek's patented (US patent No. 7,132,060) LFS series of scintillation crystals are characterized by their high light yields and ultra-fast decay times which will produce quicker, more detailed images and diagnoses, resulting in faster patient throughput and improved patient outcomes. The LFS crystals cover a wide range of emission wavelengths which can be tailored to match the spectral sensitivity of various photo detectors including Zecotek's own solid-state MAPD/T photo detector arrays.
Zecotek's manufacturing process uses the Czochralski method with proprietary modifications and results in the growth of very large-diameter boules with uniform properties and without cracking, resulting in high element output and lower unit costs. The crystal manufacturing facility will also provide cutting and polishing producing high quality value-added finished products.
About Zecotek
Zecotek Photonics Inc. (TSX-V: ZMS; Frankfurt: W1I; OTCPK: ZMSPF) is a photonics technology company developing high-performance scintillation crystals, photo detectors, positron emission tomography scanning technologies, 3D auto-stereoscopic displays, 3D metal printing, and lasers for applications in medical, high-tech and industrial sectors. Founded in 2004, Zecotek operates three divisions: Imaging Systems, Optronics Systems and 3D Display Systems with labs located in Canada, Korea, Russia, Singapore and U.S.A. The management team is focused on building shareholder value by commercializing over 50 patented and patent pending novel photonic technologies directly and through strategic alliances with Hamamatsu Photonics (Japan), the European Organization for Nuclear Research (Switzerland), Shanghai EBO Optoelectronics Technology Co. (China), NuCare Medical Systems (South Korea), the University of Washington (United States), and National NanoFab Center (South Korea). For more information visit www.zecotek.com and follow @zecotek on Twitter.
This press release may contain forward-looking statements that are based on management's expectations, estimates, projections and assumptions. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve certain risks and uncertainties, which are difficult to predict. Therefore, actual future results and trends may differ materially from what may have been stated.
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For Additional Information Please Contact:
Zecotek Photonics Inc.
Michael Minder
T: (604) 783-8291
[email protected]
SOURCE Zecotek Photonics Inc
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