For a Good Cause

Proton Beam Therapy has several advantages over traditional forms of radiation that destroy healthy human tissues. Learn about the required equipment that will help serve a large number of people desperately in need while it gets manufactured for the first time in India.

While continuing to manufacture sophisticated precision heavy machines and equipment of fine tolerances, Isgec Heavy Engineering Ltd has now committed itself to a cause that can help cancer patients. It has taken up the challenge to manufacture Proton Beam Therapy Equipment for IBA, Belgium. IBA develops, manufactures and supports medical devices and software solutions for cancer treatments.

Considered as the most advanced form of radiation therapy available today, Proton Beam Therapy uses an external beam of radiation to kill tumor cells. It has many associated advantages over traditional forms of radiation such as x-rays that destroy healthy tissues while entering into the body. One of the IBA’s projects is for TATA Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, that will be using it in its treatment of cancer and saving thousands of lives every year.

How Proton Beam Equipment works

Protons after coming out of the cyclotron and an energy selector system arrive in the treatment room via a gantry which revolves 360^o around the patient so that the beam can be delivered at the optimal angle. The highest level of geometrical accuracy of the gantry is required to position the patient at the desired location and precisely treat the cancer cells. It carries the final section of beam line and beam spreading nozzle to direct the beam at tumor cells.

The Proton Beam gantry, a massive steel structure having an assembly weight of 120 ton, is rotated through servo motors. Each gantry is over 5m in diameter and envelopes a space of 10m (L) x 10m (W) x 10m (H). The accuracy requirement for such equipment is highly critical with major emphasis on concentricity of two rings within 20 micron, which is a major challenge for manufacturing industry engineers. It will be the first time such equipment will be manufactured in India.

Isgec’s other machines

In its endeavor to reduce the range of tolerance and to increase the quality of precision in its products, Isgec’s has installed CMM (Coordinate Measuring Machine) of size:
6m x 3m x 2m. It has currently 15 Horizontal Boring Mills (maximum size: 16m x 4.5m x 2.4m (X x Y x Z), 3 Plano Millers (table size: 6000mm x 3000mm, clear height: 3000mm), 6 CNC (maximum turning capacity diameter: 1100mm, length: 10000mm) and 9 Vertical Boring Machines (maximum capacity diameter: 6.1m, height: 3.1m). Isgec’s group in compliance with world-class practices follows ISO 9001:2008 quality management systems and updates to ISO 9001:2015, besides being OSHAS 18001 and ISO 14001 certified.

A glimmer of hope

Though the situation today is far from ideal, the manufacturing industry is doing its bit by inventing machines that can serve humanity. Isgec’s and IBA’s collaborative effort, which is soon to see light of the day, certainly is a breakthrough that will present tremendous benefits to those suffering.

Author

Vivek Nigam
Business Head-Machine Building Division
Isgec Heavy Engineering Ltd
nigam@isgec.com

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