Dunlee Files IPO Prospectus: A Century of Innovation Powering Comprehensive Solutions for Medical Imaging Core Components

Driven by factors such as shifting market demands, policy reforms, and the impetus from the pandemic, CT and MR manufacturers have, in recent years, not only continued to explore uncharted territories but also strived to introduce these devices to primary care markets.

The increased utilization of medical imaging equipment is driving a corresponding rise in the demand for high-value consumables such as CT X-ray tubes. To meet the urgent needs of the domestic market, suppliers of core components for medical imaging equipment are rapidly adjusting their production plans and accelerating the manufacturing and innovative R&D of key parts, including X-ray tubes and magnetic coils.

Dunlee, a supplier of core components for medical imaging equipment, is one of the beneficiaries of this trend. At the 2021 CMEF, the century-old company showcased a range of innovative components and solutions for imaging equipment.

Dunlee Main Booth at the 84th China International Medical Equipment Fair (CMEF)

Dunlee started with CT X-ray tubes and has accumulated extensive expertise and mature design concepts in the field of CT solutions.

Leveraging the characteristics of both the high-end and primary care markets, Dunlee continuously expands its product portfolio to ensure high quality while removing barriers to customer adoption. This strategy achieves comprehensive coverage across high-, mid-, and low-tier market demands, thereby accelerating customers’ time-to-market.

At this CMEF, Dunlee’s CT Solutions exhibition area showcased world-leading CT replacement X-ray tubes, including the CTR1600 series, CT8000, DA200 series, and S 532/Akron series, as well as a portfolio of CT products featuring the Xpert-CT6000, Xceed-CT4000, and 2D tungsten anti-scatter grids.

As demand for CT X-ray tubes has risen since the onset of the pandemic, the drawbacks of conventional CT X-ray tubes have become increasingly apparent. As early as the late 1980s, Dunlee actively sought solutions to address the prolonged downtime and high operating temperatures associated with traditional CT scanners, and pioneered the development of CoolGlide™ liquid metal bearing technology, which it subsequently integrated into its CT X-ray tube products. Reducing the operating temperature of CT scanners is critical to ensuring their high-performance operation.

Dunlee Unveils CoolGlide™ Liquid Bearing Technology at the 84th China International Medical Equipment Fair (CMEF)

Compared with traditional X-ray tube technology, Dunlee’s CoolGlide™ liquid metal bearing technology minimizes pressure on the tube wall by avoiding direct metal-to-metal contact, thereby reducing operational noise and temperature of CT scanners, extending the service life of CT X-ray tubes, and ultimately enhancing tube performance.

Dunlee is not limited to providing customers with components for a single category of imaging equipment. In addition to CT imaging equipment components, Dunlee also has extensive experience in MR integrated solutions. At this CMEF conference, Dunlee showcased its Invivo MRI coil portfolio for breast, lung, neurological, cardiac, and orthopedic applications.

This also means that Dunlee is no longer just a supplier of single magnets, but has expanded its business to encompass comprehensive MRI solutions. These solutions further enhance coil conformity and patient comfort, meet specific requirements for signal-to-noise ratio and image uniformity, and significantly accelerate image acquisition speeds for each clinical application. As a result, patient experience is substantially improved, and the overall efficiency of MRI examinations is increased.

Tungsten materials offer excellent heat resistance and radiation shielding capabilities, making them ideal for X-ray tubes. In recent years, market demand for 3D-printed tungsten components, particularly anti-scatter grids for CT scanners, has been steadily increasing.

However, due to the hardness of tungsten, it is difficult to process. The capacity shortage caused by technical barriers has, to some extent, hindered its development in the CT market.

To address this challenge, Dunlee has dedicated years to advancing 3D-printed tungsten technology. The company not only successfully overcame the difficulties associated with tungsten processing and doubled its tungsten printing capacity, but also applied the technology to manufacture complex, high-precision components, thereby promoting the use of tungsten in medical systems.

Currently, Dunlee is the only supplier capable of meeting high-quality standards while simultaneously enabling high-volume printing of high-precision tungsten components. At this year’s CMEF, Dunlee showcased a range of its 3D-printed tungsten products, including its core product: anti-scatter grids for CT scanners.

Dunlee Showcases 3D-Printed Tungsten Components at the 84th China International Medical Equipment Fair (CMEF)

Beyond its application in CT anti-scatter grids, Dunlee is also actively exploring use cases outside the medical field. Stephen Deng, General Manager of Global OEM Sales at Dunlee, told VCBeat: “Dunlee’s 3D-printed tungsten has a broad range of applications. In addition to X-ray shielding, tungsten can be used as counterweights or thermal insulation components in sectors such as aerospace, defense optics, and automotive optics. The advent of 3D printing technology enables customized product design, allowing customers to translate their conceptual designs into practical applications.”

In addition to selling core components, Dunlee is striving to build customized solutions. Leveraging Dunlee Solutions+, OEM customers can fully utilize Dunlee’s expertise through tailored programs throughout the entire system lifecycle. Dunlee works closely with OEM customers to provide personalized components and solutions at every stage, including product development, production, and delivery. Furthermore, it offers technical support for component maintenance and upgrades post-delivery, facilitating the successful implementation of customer products, effectively shortening time-to-market, and enhancing their industry competitiveness.

China is one of Dunlee’s key markets globally. Against the backdrop of China’s healthcare reforms, which emphasize universal coverage and basic care guarantees, Dunlee has been launching a diverse portfolio of high-quality medical products tailored to the practical needs of patients and healthcare providers. By catering to both the premium and grassroots segments, Dunlee aims to meet varied customer demands and accelerate its market expansion in China.

Judging from the exhibition landscape at this year’s CMEF, many manufacturers also showcased core imaging components such as X-ray tubes and detectors. However, through a century of accumulated expertise, Dunlee has established certain industry barriers by leveraging four key pillars.

First, the improvement of technical know-how and process flows in the medical imaging industry requires long-term technological accumulation. The structure and principles of products are no longer secrets; achieving high-quality and superior products demands extensive accumulation over time, which is a significant advantage for Dunlee.

Secondly, Dunlee is not merely a manufacturer of individual components, but also a provider of comprehensive solutions. Customers can obtain one-stop services from Dunlee, eliminating the dilemma of whether to conduct in-house R&D or seek external vendors when developing new equipment. This means that Dunlee can offer application-proven solutions to its customers, thereby lowering the barrier to entry.

Third, Dunlee has a global footprint. The company has established its own manufacturing facilities in Europe, the United States, China, and India, supported by dedicated service, sales, and technical teams. This lays a solid foundation for the future development of its customers in China. Furthermore, all Dunlee products comply with global certification requirements.

Currently, an increasing number of medical imaging equipment manufacturers are seeking to expand into overseas markets, where many products and core components require regulatory certification. In response to this trend, Dunlee’s comprehensively certified product portfolio provides effective support for customers’ international market expansion.

Finally, Dunlee boasts a substantial talent pool. In any enterprise, particularly in high-tech sectors such as medical imaging, human capital is of paramount importance. Currently, Dunlee has amassed expert resources across multiple domains, enabling it to meet the diverse needs of its customers.

Leveraging these advantages, Dunlee has formulated a long-term strategic plan for its future. Commenting on this, Stephen Deng, General Manager of Global OEM Sales at Dunlee, stated: “Dunlee is continuously refining its product portfolio and solutions in the Chinese market to establish a ‘full-chain’ layout. As the Chinese medical imaging market continues to evolve, market demand is no longer focused solely on individual products. Upholding its brand promise of ‘Customer First,’ Dunlee will consistently introduce multi-tiered products to address unmet needs across various market segments, thereby supporting the robust development of China’s medical imaging industry with leading integration capabilities and comprehensive solutions.”

Dunlee 2021 CMEF Media Interview: Mr. Kai Deng (right), Dr. Peng Xu (left)