CAD key to new look radiotherapy machine

. It represents a breakthrough in both the effectiveness and aesthetic image of cancer treatment machines. The design is proving to be very successful and has already been finalised for a DBA Design Effectiveness Award. The brains behind the project was London-based consultancy firm Hothouse Product Development Partners who teamed up with Elekta, a supplier of radiation oncology solutions, to develop the entire panelling and user interface of its Elekta Synergy radiotherapy machine, following its progression from a one-arm to a two-arm device. The machine is intended to be less intimidating to patients and so is available in a range of soft colours and is manufactured from fibreglass. Medical staff also benefit from the new design from angled screens for convenient viewing and an easy to use remote control system. Synergy now looks like a standalone machine rather than the original wall panel unit. The arc of the arms echoes the machine's imaging equipment, while the large central circular ring expresses its rotation. Hothouse used Solidworks 3D solid modelling software in conjunction with Elekta's existing package, SolidEdge. Use of advanced CAD was necessary to ensure the design met with the EEC Medical Device Directive and the US Food and Drug Administration's requirements. It was also needed to provide the accuracy of build demanded by the installation of radiotherapy machines. Neville Pryke, senior partner at Hothouse told Eureka: "CAD gave us the accuracy and speed we needed for the project. The design process as a whole involved thorough evaluation in the virtual environment in order to be as precise as the machine itself." DP