Smartbeam Technologies Unveils Multiple High-End CT Tubes, Accelerating Medical Imaging Transformation and Global Commercialization

As the “heart” of a CT scanner, the importance of the CT X-ray tube is self-evident: it accounts for more than 30% of the total manufacturing cost of the system. For a considerable period, due to technological barriers, China lacked the capability to manufacture core components, and the core X-ray tubes used in high-end CT products were mostly sourced from overseas. Furthermore, owing to their dominant market position, foreign manufacturers often secured more favorable pricing for components, including CT X-ray tubes. This has further impacted the development of domestically produced CT scanners and X-ray tubes.

Domestic substitution of core components such as CT X-ray tubes is imperative. Innovative enterprises in the field of CT X-ray tubes are accelerating this process. Recently,SMARTBEAM, China’s first manufacturer of liquid metal bearing CT X-ray tubes, has announced the commencement of operations at its smart manufacturing base in Hangzhou and launched multiple innovative CT X-ray tube products covering mainstream 64-slice CT systems. These launches signify that domestically produced CT X-ray tubes in the mid-to-high-end segment are now competing head-to-head with imported brands in a broader market.

Meanwhile, the domestic CT X-ray tube market has recently seen a surge of activity.The Ministry of Commerce has decided to initiate an anti-dumping investigation into imported medical CT X-ray tubes originating from the United States and India, effective April 4. Concurrently, it will conduct an investigation into the competitiveness of the domestic industry for imported medical CT X-ray tubes, with a particular focus on the impact of related product imports on the domestic industry and its competitiveness. This move sends two signals to the outside world: first, attention to CT X-ray tubes has “reached a new level,” receiving high-level emphasis from the state; second, in the domestic market, Chinese manufacturers of CT X-ray tubes are ushering in new opportunities for market development.

Amidst this transformation and opportunity, innovative technology remains the core focus for enterprises.

To achieve longer tube life and faster anode heat dissipation efficiency, X-ray tube technology has evolved from fixed anodes to rotating anodes, from glass envelopes to metal envelopes, from pure metal targets to metal-graphite composite targets, and from mechanical ball bearings to liquid metal bearings.

Liquid metal bearing X-ray tubes are widely used in mid-to-high-end CT scanners with 64 slices or more, and are gradually becoming a “mandatory” configuration for complete systems. However, over the past several decades, only Philips, Toshiba, GE, and Siemens have mastered this technology overseas.It was not until 2022, with the approval of SMARTBEAM’s liquid metal bearing X-ray tube, that China announced its breakthrough in related technologies.

Highlights from the Event

“Bearings are a critical component in CT X-ray tubes. Based on their working principles, they can be categorized into the relatively traditional ball bearing structure and the liquid metal bearing structure,” pointed out Hu Yinfu, Founder and General Manager of SMARTBEAM. “The application of liquid metal bearing technology will bring significant performance improvements to CT systems in several aspects:First, improved heat dissipation performance of the X-ray tube allows for continuous CT scanning of patients, supporting high-volume patient examinations. Second, it can withstand higher gantry rotation speeds, enabling rapid, high-definition scanning of moving organs such as the heart. This reduces motion artifacts and improves image quality, allowing physicians to observe fine structures like coronary arteries more clearly. Third, liquid metal bearings operate with minimal noise, often resulting in a better patient experience. Fourth, the anode rotates continuously without contact wear, yielding a service life typically two to three times that of ball-bearing CT X-ray tubes, which effectively lowers operational costs.

Hu Yinfu, Founder and General Manager of SMARTBEAM

Achieving technological breakthroughs inevitably involves overcoming significant challenges. Notably, liquid metal, used as a lubricant for bearings, is highly prone to leakage; any such leakage would compromise the normal operation of the ball tube.Faced with the global challenge of vacuum sealing for liquid metals, SMARTBEAM achieved innovative design and validation through its selection of gallium-indium-tin alloys, development of a proprietary multi-component composite coating process, and establishment of a comprehensive accelerated life testing system for all operating conditions.

Underpinning this success are national support for medical device innovation, SMARTBEAM’s multidisciplinary team, and its highly resilient corporate spirit. Hu Yinfu studied at Wuhan University and Tsinghua University, earning a Ph.D. in Physical Electronics. He has served as Vice Chairman of the IEEE China Council and Chair of the Microwave Theory and Techniques Society (MTT-S) Beijing Chapter, and has published more than 50 academic papers in domestic and international journals and conferences. With nearly two decades of R&D, production, and management experience in the field of vacuum electronics, he led his team through the most challenging periods, with engineers working around the clock to accelerate product development and iteration.

As SMARTBEAM transitions from laboratory R&D to obtaining product certification, it is further accelerating its commercialization process. In 2024, SMARTBEAM relocated its corporate headquarters to Hangzhou.In 2025, the commissioning of SMARTBEAM’s smart manufacturing base in Hangzhou marked a new milestone for its core components of high-end medical equipment, achieving self-reliance and commercial mass production.It is reported that SMARTBEAM has currently achieved an annual production capacity of 4,000 CT X-ray tubes, thereby laying the groundwork for the accelerated replacement of CT X-ray tubes.

In February this year, SMARTBEAM secured medical device registration certificates for multiple key market products, specifically X-ray tube assemblies with 64 slices or more. At its new product launch event in April, SMARTBEAM officially introduced these products to the market.

SMARTBEAM Deputy General Manager Yang Kai Hosted the Product Launch On-Site

SMARTBEAM’s newly launched CT tube product line includes three liquid metal bearing CT tubes and one ball bearing CT tube—

CT X-ray Tube Product Overview

The ZS702L/H847B model is a CT X-ray tube product featuring liquid metal bearings, suitable for Optima CT620, Optima 680 Expert/Optima CT680 Professional/670, Revolution Maxima, and Revolution Ace. Its nominal voltage of 140 kV allows it to provide higher X-ray intensity to meet more complex scanning requirements.

The ZS712L/H485B model is a liquid metal bearing product, suitable for SOMATOM go.TOP, SOMATOM go.Top Wise, SOMATOM go.Sim, SOMATOM go.Open Pro, SOMATOM go.All, and SOMATOM go.Fit. Its heat capacity reaches up to 7.1 MHU, providing exceptional stability during continuous operation.

The ZS502L/H580C model is a liquid metal bearing product, suitable for the SOMATOM Perspective series of CT equipment. Its smaller focal spot size also enables higher image quality.

The aforementioned liquid metal bearing products feature zero wear, zero vibration, low noise, high spindle speed, efficient heat dissipation, and extended service life with continuous anode rotation.

The ZS352C/H485A model is a ball-bearing CT X-ray tube product, suitable for Siemens SOMATOM go.Now and go.Up.

In fact, as of now, SMARTBEAM has obtained registration certificates for 14 medical device products.Among these, six products based on ball bearings have obtained medical device registration certificates: four are X-ray tube assemblies for medical CT scanners, and two are rotating anode X-ray tubes for medical diagnosis. Eight products based on liquid metal bearings have obtained medical device registration certificates, including five X-ray tube assemblies for medical CT scanners and three rotating anode X-ray tubes for medical diagnosis. In addition, SMARTBEAM has several high-end X-ray tube assemblies for medical CT scanners under development. These products can fully meet the demand for CT X-ray tubes in both the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) market and the replacement market.

With the launch of flagship new products and coverage of the mainstream 64-slice CT applications in the market, this signifies that SMARTBEAM is fully benchmarking against top-tier international products, further marking Chinese-made CT X-ray tube products as officially joining the ranks of high-end global offerings.

Precision Inspection Products Overview

Notably, at the new product launch event, SMARTBEAM not only introduced CT X-ray tube products for the medical sector but also launched the ZS-LC4100S model for the industrial precision inspection sector. This product delivers high-quality inspection images and further enhances inspection efficiency with a rapid exposure time of 3.7–3.9 seconds, while boasting an ultra-long service life of over 10,000 hours. It is reported that relevant enterprises have already entered into collaborations with SMARTBEAM regarding these products.

This also signifies that SMARTBEAM is shattering traditional stereotypes of enterprises by launching an innovation matrix strategy driven by the dual engines of healthcare and industry. Furthermore, it underscores that SMARTBEAM is not only empowering the healthcare sector but also forging an “industrial smart eye” for strategic industries such as semiconductors and new energy, leveraging its nanoscale precision.

To date, SMARTBEAM has cumulatively shipped nearly 1,000 CT X-ray tube units, covering all provinces in China and exporting to more than 20 countries worldwide. At the conference,SMARTBEAM has secured exclusive licensing agreements with eight strategic partners both domestically and internationally. With the signing completed, SMARTBEAM will accelerate its expansion into the global market.

However, product imitation is not the ultimate goal for companies with innovation capabilities. For SMARTBEAM, what is undoubtedly more important is to reshape the industry and achieve leadership in both technology and the sector—

From a technical perspective, the quality of SMARTBEAM’s commercially available liquid metal bearing CT X-ray tubes is on par with that of imported products.In terms of lifespan metrics, the maximum number of exposure seconds has exceeded 1.5 million, with average lifespan performance reaching parity with imported products. Taking the ZS502L as an example, by the end of last year, the average exposure data for X-ray tubes in service reached 670,000 seconds, and more than 90% of the tubes remain in active service.On the other hand, SMARTBEAM is exploring more advanced and cutting-edge technologies to achieve technological leadership.In the field of ultra-high-end CT scanners with 128 slices or more, core technologies have long been monopolized by overseas companies, becoming a prominent bottleneck restricting the industrial upgrade of China’s medical equipment sector. In December 2024, SMARTBEAM successfully obtained approval for a major national special project under the National Key R&D Program’s “Open Competition Mechanism” (Jiebang Guashuai). The company is committed to building a technical system for liquid metal bearing CT X-ray tubes with fully independent intellectual property rights. As the project advances, it is expected to launch related CT X-ray tube products next year, propelling domestically produced CT X-ray tubes to the global technological forefront. This will also signify that the research and development of core CT X-ray tube components in China has formally broken through the traditional path of “introduction and imitation,” beginning to independently define industry standards.

SMARTBEAM Hangzhou Smart Manufacturing Base

From an industrial perspective, first, SMARTBEAM is driving the upgrade of CT X-ray tube manufacturing processes toward intelligent manufacturing.Historically, manufacturing processes have long relied on manual expertise, resulting in low standardization and significant challenges in quality control. SMARTBEAM is advancing toward intelligent manufacturing of X-ray tubes by establishing a more modular, standardized, and automated smart manufacturing system. Currently, the MES (Manufacturing Execution System) deployed at SMARTBEAM’s Binjiang Smart Factory has successfully achieved precise monitoring of the entire production process, as well as accurate data collection and intelligent analysis of production quality and cost metrics.Secondly, with its own intelligent upgrades, SMARTBEAM is also achieving industrial empowerment.Its full-lifecycle monitoring platform for CT X-ray tubes acts as a “digital electrocardiogram” for each tube, enabling intelligent operation and maintenance. By providing stable and reliable “SmartBeam Core” solutions to domestic CT original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and the global third-party maintenance market, it is poised to accelerate the self-sufficiency and industrial upgrading of medical imaging equipment.

With further synergy in the industrial ecosystem and the rapid rise of domestic enterprises, the autonomy and controllability of the CT X-ray tube supply chain will undoubtedly be further enhanced. As a “core pivot,” it will also accelerate the restructuring of the entire CT industry.