Kromek - Light to see the unseen

In Durham, we have an exciting company that uses digital colour x-ray and gamma ray detection and imaging to help us see what the naked eye cannot see.

Kromek is a supplier of patented radiation detection technologies to the Medical Imaging, Nuclear Detection and Security Screening markets.

Originally known as Durham Scientific Crystals (DSC), the company started as a Durham University spin-out business with just two employees in 2003. Today, it is an AIM-listed company headquartered at NETPark in Durham with offices in Germany and the USA, and has over 100 in its workforce.  

Kromek’s products include bottle scanners for airports that can classify liquids accurately in under 30 seconds, and a lightweight detector that can identify hazardous radiation sources in the environment. Its cadmium zinc telluride (CZT)-based technology has the advantage of being better at picking up X-rays than silicon and can operate at room temperature than other materials.

Interesting fact:

Their RadAngel product was launched into the Japanese market in 2012 in response to the catastrophic meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear facility that forced thousands of people from the surrounding area. The RadAngel is a lightweight and accurate personal radiation detector that can provide users with the source and level of radioactive contaminants in items such as food, soil and water.

“We like to say that we provide the equivalent of the Intel chip in an X-ray machine, or the silicon charge-coupled device in a digital camera…The proximity to the universities and the infrastructure are very important factors. Ultimately having a presence in Europe is very valuable to us and we intend to stay at NETPark for many years to come.”

Dr Arnab Basu, CEO