Excillum MetalJet E1 installed at Johns Hopkins University

Excillum has a history of pushing boundaries to enhance performance and maintain its position as the manufacturer of the world’s brightest X-ray source. In the summer of 2020, we launched the Excillum MetalJet E1, the newest member of the MetalJet family. The total power has increased from 250W to 700W on a 30 µm X-ray spot. In the energy range of 24-29 keV, the brightness of X-rays from E1 is 70 times more than a conventional sealed X-ray source. This adds valuable gain in data acquisition time and the ability to perform experiments outside of the synchrotron.

One such application that benefits from the MetalJet E1 is phase contrast imaging.

The new Advanced X-ray Imaging of Materials (AXIOM) laboratory at Johns Hopkins University will enable a range of studies including X-ray phase contrast imaging of geological materials such as sandstone under compression, and combined X-ray computed tomography and high-energy diffraction microscopy of fatigue failure in lightweight structural metals. Until now, these kinds of experiments have been done mostly at synchrotron beamlines, where we were limited to a week or two of beam-time per year. The possibility of doing them in our own laboratory, 365 days a year, is a game-changer in terms of the range of materials and conditions we can examine, not to mention enabling long-duration studies that would be impossible at a synchrotron. Excillum and Proto made a great team, providing expertise in the X-ray sources, detectors, and system integration and working together seamlessly to provide an outstanding instrument.”

Todd Hufnagel, Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.

Proto specializes in offering custom X-ray solutions for unique applications. It was only natural for Proto to integrate the Excillum MetalJet E1 and create a high value offering to Dr. Hufnagel. High energy diffraction imaging is typically performed at synchrotrons and now Dr. Hufnagel has an option to do those experiments in the lab with a 24 keV monochromatic beam.