Repurposing used x-Ray equipment?

Yeah, um, ok...this is a real oddball one.

I do eBay consignments for local people. I had a rather odd local fellow stop in the shop with a couple used Bunn restaraunt coffee warmers he wants me to list. Then he goes on to tell me about a used x-Ray machine in 4-shipping crates(basically the whole room the way he described it) that he picked up at a VA auction.

I have a feeling it's value is as scrap, but I figure it's worth asking first!

I bet there is some small Baltic state's government that needs one. But they probably can't touch scrap price.

wellll I would have to do some looking into stuff, but you CAN use it to test racing parts.

I would bet its not worth it by a longshot though...

might try to see if some organization might want it for some more neglected part of the world?

There's some medical equipment auction houses and companies that resell to 3rd world countries. Might be worth a little bit. The 3rd world resellers are low ballers - usually offering a few hundred for stuff you could raise a couple thousand. Also veterinarians will go for used stuff.

stick it on ebay, im sure a south florida "doctor" will snatch it up..

for those who dont know, several times a year there are raids down here cleaning up the fake doctors, dentists, lawyers , etc... some of them have better set up than the real docs do...

Used medical equipment may (and probably does) require a license of some type or other. My license is good for handling such equipment in AR. However, in TX, for example, even a licensed M.D. requires a Distressed Medical Equipment permit/license/thingie from the state. Now, add in that X-Ray equipment may have radioactive components and may have a following from men from alphabet soup agencies and you should seriously consider not messing with this.

makes a nice trigger for a big bomb

If you want to try to sell it, take a look at www.dotmed.com. It's an auction/sales site for used medical equipment. I'm not sure what's required to get an account to sell on there, but you might be able to refer your customer there or refer a broker from that site to your customer and ask the broker for a finder's fee. I'm not sure it will be worth much money though. The x-ray tube in x-ray machines need to be replaced occasionally and I'd guess that the machine did not have it's tube replaced anytime close to when it was removed from service, and they are not cheap. Also, with increasing media and government scrutiny of radiation doses from diagnostic radiology, most hospitals will look for a newer machine that can take quality images with reduced dose compared to machines from 10 years ago. If you're going to export it, there are a lot of hoops to jump through both in just getting the OK to ship it out of the US and then alot for getting it into another country (there requirements may not line up with the FDAs).

Before you get involved with this, do some searching on the FDA website, as well as your state governments' site. The FDA has a lot of regulations concerning the use of X-Ray machines, and you can get in a lot of trouble for misusing them. Also, while X-Ray machines don't have an actual radioactive source (they accelerate electrons into a tungsten, molybdenum, or rhodium target to create bremmstrahlung radiation that is then used to create the images) it is possible for the target to become slightly radioactive over time, and will be subject to specific regulations concerning sales, shipping or scrapping. If you set off the radiation alarm at your local scrap yard, they will not be happy with you.

If you've got an questions, let me know and I'll try to answer them or point you in the right direction. I'm just finishing up my MS in Medical Physics, so I've got some experience with the regulatory side of radioactive medical equipment.

Bob

Thanks for the replies! I'll look into those sites, but it sounds like one I'll avoid completely.

mad_machine wrote: makes a nice trigger for a small bombastic with a big boombastic

fixed and camouflaged to protect you from the alphabet soup people...

I'd probably pass on listing it. The folks that do the government regulation of x-ray equipment are right down the hall from me. Permits required, but that's for the use of the stuff, not the ownership...I think. Potentially interesting liability from residual radiation would give me pause.

Though I'd love to own the stuff myself. Can't think of a good need for it, but what the heck.

ALso useful for:

making neighborhood cats glow in the dark and easier to spot in the scope....

Growing really large ants...

Checking out the coeds at the local college...

See there IS a reason you need permits and licenses

I'd love to find someone with a machine big enough to xray a car. beats tearing the interior apart or dropping gastanks when looking for build sheets.

Find out what the source of the X-Ray is. If it's moderately new and generated electronically, fine. If it's older and has a "source" run away.

And don't go near an airport for 3500 years.

924guy wrote:

mad_machine wrote: makes a nice trigger for a small bombastic with a big boombastic

fixed and camouflaged to protect you from the alphabet soup people...

Wasnt this on NCIS recently?.. or like eight seasons ago... I think it was a finale

Oh, build date was 1993, so I suppose that's pretty ancient technology-wise.

I used to work for an xray film processor company and the older owner would xray stuff over in the machine shop. No protection - not a big deal to him.

I would take a pass - look for some old datsun roadster parts instead.

Maybe the prop department in a porn studio might have some use for it.

A memory from the past!

When I was in elementary school, my best friend's dad was a Dr. He also had an awesome woodshop. One day the hospital got a huge piece of medical equipment (I think an X-ray machine) that had been shipped in a mahogony crate. The Dr was best friends with the hospital radiologist, so they tore the crate apart and x-rayed the wood for nails. He re-used the wood in his shop.

Brain flash #2. I once applied for a job as a health physicist with the state health dept. The job was inspecting x-ray machines in Dr offices.

The guy who owns this stopped in again today & asked a question that maybe you guys & gals can answer - would this unit be any use to a veterinarian?

Yeah, vets use them. Now that particular unit, who knows?

924guy wrote:

mad_machine wrote: makes a nice trigger for a small bombastic with a big boombastic

fixed and camouflaged to protect you from the alphabet soup people...

yeah but now Shaggy knows where he is.

Ive heard some wise tale that you can x-ray golf balls to give them a bit more "pop." Tiger woods maybe interested in it then, give his PR manager a call.