Contact the Musculoskeletal Biomechanics Research Facility (MSKBRF) on mskbrf@cardiff.ac.uk or telephone +44 (0) 29 2087 6436.

From £106.63 per hour depending on whether the user is trained for indeoendent use or untrained. Training to allow independent use is also available.

The system has dedicated technical support for its use and set up. Training is available for people to become operators and be able to use the machine. Pilot scans can be carried out by trained technical support to assess imaging parameters and determine if the equipment is appropriate for research study. Scans can take between 15 mins and 9 hours depending on size of object and spatial resolution required.

The Bruker Skyscan 1272 MicroCT Scanner is a fully enclosed bench top x-ray enclosure of approximate dimensions 1160 mm (l) x 330 mm (h) x 520 mm (d). Access to the enclosure is via a door that is fully interlocked to the x-ray shutter.

The system is under computer control; it is only possible to operate the x-ray tube via the computer console / software system, which monitors and is linked to the engineered safety devices. The x-ray tube operates between 20-100kV at a maximum of 10 W. During maximum operation it is <1 µSv/h at 10cm from the instrument surface which is below the UK legal working limit.

Prior to samples being scanned a risk assessment and standard operating procedures for how the samples are being mounted in the scanner needs to be provided. Scans have to be booked in advance to ensure suitable operator support and availability. Only operators who have been signed off by the lab manager as being competent can operate the machine.