Excursion to Siemens Healthineers
The MAP students were presented with a great opportunity to visit Siemens Healthineers in Forchheim on 13 March 2024. It was an amazing experience for us to learn from the pioneers of the industry and see the laboratories with our own eyes.
The main topic of discussion was the computed tomography (CT) machines, which are frequently used in the medical field for diagnostic purposes. In the first half of our time there, we were given a lecture about the history and uses of CT machines, and how they were improved step by step until the present. Furthermore, we discussed the current challenges with the CT machines both from a medical and, naturally, from a materials science perspective. The R&D team working on improving CT devices consists of people from very diverse backgrounds, combining the expertise of materials scientists, electrical engineers and semiconductor engineers to name a few. This highlights how important it is for professionals from different fields to come together to advance technology.
Siemens Healthineers’ example served us as a benchmark for how product research is conducted, with different teams working together on a variety of projects concerning CT machines, in order to improve them even further. These include attempts to increase the image resolution, reduce the scanning time and develop an overall less invasive technology by utilizing different X-ray sources and detectors, which are at the heart of CT technology. During this session, the students also had the chance to ask questions regarding any part of the lecture.
During the second half of our trip, we had the opportunity to see the laboratories. We observed how various parts of CT devises are manufactured, including the clean rooms where the crystals used in detectors are grown. Siemens Healthineers is a pioneer also in this area, as it is the first company to produce a clinically usable photon-counting CT machine, which uses cadmium telluride (CdTe) crystals.
Seeing new technologies come to life was very inspiring and exciting, and the questions asked during the lecture gave us valuable insights into this field. We would like to thank everyone involved in this excursion.
By MAP student Ege Ündar (matriculation group 2022)