Recently, JPI discussed the frequently asked question, “Why do digital panels break?” The article can be read here >> In this article, we addressed the most common reasons panels would suddenly stop working. Like any other piece of equipment or technology, x-ray panels also experience slower, more gradual losses of functionality over time. This is most commonly caused by scintillator decay and increasing numbers of bad pixels in the image.

Over time, all scintillators lose brightness. However, this typically takes place over 7 to 10 years before it becomes noticeable, and even after that time won’t prevent the panel from continued use. More dramatic issues occur when the glue which holds the scintillator begins to degrade and the scintillator delaminates from the detector. This creates “bubbles” that appear as artifacts in the image. This problem could occur eventually to any panel that uses glued on scintillators, though the rate it occurs varies greatly among manufacturers. A few manufacturers do not use glue in their panels at all, instead growing the scintillator crystals directly onto the detector hardware and do not experience this problem.

The other most common damage sustained over time is accumulating bad pixels in the image. An individual panel will have millions of pixels, each of which is a delicate electronic component that can fail with time. In general this is not a major issue. All panels come with a calibration function that will allow users to eliminate and compensate for these bad pixels, cleaning up the image when a calibration is done. Problems occur when large clusters of pixels go bad or an entire line or block of pixels fail. In this case, a persistent artifact will appear in the image that cannot be simply calibrated away. Replacement of the panel is the only solution if the number of bad pixels becomes that large.

While some of these issues are easier to avoid than others, problems, especially those due to sudden loss, underpin the importance of having a hardware warranty and drop coverage. If you’re a dealer or healthcare professional and would like to learn more about JPI’s 5-5-5 Coverage Program, our Account Managers are happy to discuss our solutions and coverage options with you. Please complete the simple form below.