Proteus One is a proton therapy system developed by Belgian company IBA, a world leader in this field, which enables certain types of tumor to be treated with unrivalled precision. The Proteus One gantry and synchrocyclotron are designed to be as compact as never before, providing access to state-of-the-art proton therapy technology. Thanks to its 220° rotating structure combined with the 6 degrees of freedom of movement of the robotic patient positioner, this complete installation offers the most advanced techniques to enable practitioners to treat a cancerous tumor with a proton beam with sub-millimeter precision.
IBA turned to the Emitech Group for its Proteus One electrical safety and EMC tests, which were carried out on site in France and abroad. As Proteus One is not just a medical solution, but a complete installation within a building, with a treatment room and a generator protected by several-meter-thick concrete walls that stop the radiation induced during gas pedal operation, these tests required expertise and a flawless global response.
For this reason, preparations began several months before the tests, as IBA wanted to be sure of Emitech's ability to meet its expectations, to carry out all tests in accordance with international medical system standards, to test a technologically and physically complex system, and to adapt to different constraints (tests carried out at different sites abroad, staggered working hours).
Emitech then went on to Belgium and the United States to test the various sub-assemblies separately, as well as to Nice to test an installation in the process of being technically commissioned. Finally, the safety team flew to the United States to inspect a finished installation with a view to engineering it for certification in Japan! The international medical standards used were IEC 60601-1, incorporating American and Japanese national deviations, and IEC 60601-1-2 for EMC.
With expertise and agility, Emitech's teams were able to cope with considerable constraints, such as a three-level installation, a high-power system with special radio-frequency characteristics requiring very specific expertise, and the adaptation of resources and measurement and test slots set by IBA according to the progress of commissioning, but also according to the use of the Proteus One already in operation in the United States.
The scope of the tests to be carried out was vast: all electrical tests, protection against electric shock and fire, patient and practitioner protection, interference, all electrical cabinets in the entire building: control rooms, examination rooms, computer room, generator building, the whole installation seen from the outside, etc.
Proteus One is a milestone for Emitech, as IBA continues its development with other testing and certification projects across its product portfolio.
Learn more: www.emitech.fr