Supporting member Lead2Fix has recently bought a 5-axis machining centre with which it can process lead tiles in-house. In a single automated procedure, the machine can apply a V-shaped groove in lead tiles of different thicknesses.
The machine was a joint development of Lead2Fix and steel construction and machine manufacturer Van Nobelen Delft. The aim was to find a way of applying a perfectly interlocking groove around the edge of the lead tiles that was precise enough to obtain a radiation-proof construction. The result is the VarioShieldXL, a lead tile which allows walls with high radiation protection to be built quickly. These are already being used in the Prinses Máxima Centrum, the Gelre hospital in Apeldoorn and the Universitätsklinikum in Bonn. The wall system has been tested by APPLUS RTD. In previous collaborations, Van Nobelen Delft and Lead2Fix had already developed innovative machines for the automated gluing of lead onto plaster panels. Lead2Fix has acquired the 5-axis machining centre from Van Nobelen Delft in order to speed up its in-house production and supply of lead tiles (VarioShieldXL).