The construction and testing of the NHa C400 prototype of the first compact superconducting cyclotron equipment for hadron therapy for our customer SIGMAPHI continues at full speed at the SIMIC workshops.

This innovative medical device will be a particularly effective for treating and curing of the radio-resistant tumors, as compared to more conventional radiotherapy techniques. It was developed by NHa and IBA and will be the first in the world capable of delivering protons, carbon and helium ions for therapeutic use.

The superconducting coils, the cryostat and the electrical system for this unique cyclotron has been designed and built by SIGMAPHI on the behalf of NHa.

SIMIC is in charge of the manufacturing of the helium vessel and vacuum vessel on the behalf of SIGMAPHI with stringent requirements:

• Helium vessel integrated by magnets, which is a pressure vessel and contains two superconducting coils cooled-down at 4,2K with helium liquid;

• Vacuum vessel inside which the helium vessel will be assembled with the relative screens;

• Very tight machining tolerances, considering the large dimensions of the pieces with thin walls.

Construction materials: AISI 304L stainless steel with magnetic permeability lower than 1.2.

Vacuum tightness design: Helium leak rate < 10-9 mbar l/s.

A further project that makes SIMIC proud to participate in the creation of this relevant and innovative technology that will provide significant advances in heavy-ion therapy, benefiting numerous cancer indications, particularly for large, hypoxic and radio-resistant tumors.