NELCO Worldwide, the global leader in radiation-shielding products and solutions, has completed installation of three proton therapy slide-door systems at the Skandion Clinic in Uppsala, Sweden. The ultra-modern cancer center is the first clinic for proton therapy in Scandinavia.
“We’re proud Skandion chose NELCO to handle the design, manufacture and installation of a critical safety component—the proton door systems,” said Rick LeBlanc, President and CEO of NELCO Worldwide. “As the world’s leading supplier, our reputation for quality and reliability was reassuring to Skandion, as was our previous experience with shielded-door installations in Sweden and Europe.”
Adapting a Design Process to Challenging Requirements
The NELCO team coordinated with the contractor group and hospital physicist to plan and design secure entry to each of the treatment rooms. “One of our challenges was to work around the pre-existing design of the bunker maze and create room for a robotic couch system to move patients in and out,” said Keith Larkin, Director of NELCO U.K. “To accommodate the larger couch system, we needed to adapt our design and open the walls of a maze built with 3.2 meters of iron-ore concrete—another sizable challenge.”
NELCO Worldwide Viewed as Europe’s Local Shielding Source
Under the supervision of NELCO U.K., the NELCO team established a continuous presence at the clinic. The NELCO project supervisor was on site throughout the installation process, and the service manager tuned the doors, installed safeties and conducted training. “Proton doors are an essential part of the facility. If the doors go down, patients can’t go in,” said LeBlanc. “Our success with this high-profile project helps solidify our position as Europe’s number one source for shielding solutions.”
NELCO adapted the Skandion Clinic’s innovative design for the new Groningen Proton Therapy Centre in the Netherlands, the second proton treatment facility in Europe recently completed by the NELCO team.
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