iCRco has undergone a lot of changes recently, including becoming ISO 9001 certified and experiencing a doubling in company size each of the past three years. The certification was a lot of work, said Mark Valentine, vice president and COO, but has paid off. Now, the company can better track data and monitor component quality. That’s important because iCRco has a long, thorough quality control process. “We sometimes do 100 scans before we send out a machine to make sure it is as perfect as we can make it,” Valentine said. That results in a lesser reject rate which translates to increased company profitability and lower prices for consumers. The ISO certification also is helping iCRco take advantage of emerging and expanding markets. “We plan on being very aggressive on export in 2007,” Valentine said. To that end, iCRco demonstrated the iCR7200 Dual Bay CR system at RSNA 2006--the latest addition to its digital imaging solutions products line. It is designed to scan phosphor screens (CR plates) using patented technology and can simultaneously process two cassettes for rapid throughput of 180 full-size plates per hour, using two high-resolution CR bays. The 7200 also features 16 bits/pixel source file (65,000 shades of gray) performance. The Dual Bay CR patented design incorporates a precise scan mechanism known as iCRco’s true flat scan path. Nothing touches the active area of the phosphor plate resulting in artifact-free images for the life of the plate, and there are no stresses placed on the plate during the scanning process. The iCR7200 Dual Bay is available as a desktop machine or with an integrated cart. The company says the iCR7200 Dual Bay offers a new class in the arena of multi loader CR solutions. Two separate CR reading modules allow for simultaneous scanning of two plates resulting in a high throughput of up to 140 14x17 plates per hour. The system uses no rollers to transport the plate across the two scan heads. A positive traction drive system ensures perfect artifact free reproduction with every scan. iCRco also introduced Vertex, a vertical product aimed at mobile applications. The slim CR system is mountable onto mobile x-ray cart or unit. It is very company and ruggedized for mobile applications. Everything appears even, with concise, clear image, said Valentine. He said the company has found that facilities doing digital imaging are imaging more patients so there is not time for image manipulation. “They want the image to appear ready so we are aiming toward a simple CR solution. Most people want to click, acquire the image, accept it, and send it to the viewer. We are trying to lesson the time and process for the technologist.” Valentine said that in Korea, for example, some technologists are imaging 200 patients a day. So, saving a few seconds per patient adds up and facilitates better patient care.