Magnetics Business & Technology - September/October 2023 - 7

FEATURE ARTICLE
Developing ultra-high field magnets for more than 20 years
Time Medical's R&D team has been developing ultra-high field
magnets for more than 20 years including liquid-helium-free
magnet design, high homogeneity electromagnetic field design,
cryogenic Dewar technology, superconducting joint technology,
superconducting coil packaging technology and vacuum insulation
technology.
Continually striving to bring disruptive technologies to the
diagnostic imaging market, the company has been a pioneer
in developing specialized, and mobilized MR systems for niche
markets such as the neonatal system as well as for elderly care
and women's health. An abbreviated MRI for breast imaging with
artificial intelligence reading is positioned as a product for independent
breast imaging diagnostic centers. The founding team
comes from a strong background of expertise, research and
experience at leading universities such as Columbia University,
Harvard Medical School and University of Hong Kong as well as
at industry-leading corporations, GE and Siemens.
The company's high temperature superconducting (HTS)
technology is a unique combination of high temperature superconductivity
and magnetic resonance technology, including HTS
radio frequency technology, HTS magnet technology and HTS
gradient technology.
The RF coil is the core component of the MRI system. At present,
the RF coil material is usually made with copper material, which
is the main loss of signal-to-noise ratio except for the necessary
loss of the imaging anatomy itself. Time Medical uses HTS materials
for the replacement of the copper materials in traditional RF
coils. The materials exhibit nearly zero resistance at a 77K temperature,
greatly reducing noise generated from the RF coil and
improving the signal-to-noise ratio of the image. Compared with
traditional copper RF coils, HTS coils show a signal-to-noise ratio
improvement of 200% to 300% in proton imaging. In non-proton
imaging such as Na imaging, high-temperature superconducting
coils can achieve a 500% signal-to-noise ratio improvement.
The high-temperature superconducting material has a higher
critical temperature and stronger critical magnetic field. The
critical current density of HTS strip is 10-100 times that of low
temperature superconductor. Time Medical has completed the
development and clinical application of HTS radio frequency coils
and plans to develop HTS magnets and gradients in parallel. It is
developing the first small-scale SupMR with all HTS components
for animal imaging, and then plans to design a large diameter
HTS magnet, RF and gradient and develop the first full-body
HTS prototype system.
It has designed and manufactured a variety of 7-9.4T superconducting
magnets and gradient coils, which are used in narrowbore
MRI systems for biomed and preclinical research. Ultra-high
field MRI is the industry trend for precision molecular imaging
and neurological and cardiovascular clinical applications, leading
Time Medial to invest heavily in 7T large-bore brain MRI, aiming
to become a world leader in brain MRI used for the research of
nerves and neurons.
For more info, see www.time-medical.com.
www.MagneticsMag.com
September/October 2023 * Magnetics Business & Technology 7
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Magnetics Business & Technology - September/October 2023

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