Madison company building neutron imaging services facility
Madison-based maker of neutron generators Phoenix LLC is expanding its business by building a neutron imaging center in Fitchburg, the company announced Tuesday.
Phoenix is building a new, 10,000-square-foot neutron imaging services facility that will open in the middle of next year. It will be the first non-reactor facility offering commercial neutron imaging services, according to the company’s news release.
Neutron imaging is a more advanced version of an X-ray that lets owners of industrial machinery look at the insides of the components. Phoenix’s main line of business has been selling equipment, so the addition of neutron imaging services marks a fundamental shift for the company.
“Opening the Phoenix Neutron Imaging Center represents a major advance in making our neutron imaging technology broadly available to any industry,” said Evan Sengbusch, Phoenix president, in the release. “By investing in a high performance, reliable, and safe imaging services facility, we’re able to tap into new markets that, due to cost, were previously inaccessible.”
The idea is to serve customers who don’t need to own the whole system to perform imaging but still need the information. Sengbusch said Phoenix expects to draw aerospace and defense customers for the service.
Phoenix will break ground on the new Fitchburg building in November.
Phoenix also is building a new corporate headquarters on the same site that will open in 2020. The company has 91 employees, and Sengbusch said he anticipates adding another 15 employees this year. By the time Phoenix moves into its new headquarters, Sengbusch said the company will have around 150 employees.
Earlier this month, Phoenix announced it had signed contracts with two nuclear fuel manufacturers for $15 million. The company spun off from Shine Medical Technologies in 2010.