A developer of MRI coils and diagnostic software needed a quick turnaround on cast urethane parts, an inexpensive alternative to CNC machining. Sentinelle Medical Inc in Canada, (sentinellemedical.com), (416) 366-4994, turned to Quickparts.com, Atlanta, GA, (877) 521-8683, to produce the housing for special coils on its Vanguard Breast MR Auxiliary Table. Sentinelle chose Quickparts because of its short lead times and instant online quoting for cast urethane and RP parts.

The Vanguard provides a combination of image quality, interventional capabilities, biopsy choices, patient ergonomics, clinical convenience, and healthcare economics. The unit features an eight channel coil array that transforms a GE MRI into a dedicated unit for breast MR imaging and intervention.

Sentinelle’s Variable Coil Geometry of the eight channel array lets the position of the coils be customized for every patient. Coils can be moved medially and laterally, as well as posteriorally towards the axilla and chest wall, providing high-quality images unavailable on traditional tabletop coils.

According to Sentinelle, receiving prototypes and urethane parts quickly let the company stick to its production schedule. Quickparts also sourced the new material used to make the coil housing.

“We had cast urethane parts in hand in just two weeks,” says Sentinelle engineer Rob Brown."Quickparts is responsive and its instant online quoting is convenient. It lets me easily submit a file and then look at different options for prototyping or manufacturing. The QuickQuote software lets me see part pricing before the part design is complete, a capability I find helpful.”