slip ring
Rotating electrical interface in a CT gantry. Transfers power, control signals, and detector data between the stationary frame and rotating gantry. The architectural enabler for continuous gantry rotation that made helical CT possible in the late 1980s — pre-slip-ring CTs had to reverse direction every rotation to avoid cable wrap.
Why it matters to buyers: Position-dependent rotation faults and data dropouts trace to slip-ring wear. Brush kits are a scheduled PM on legacy and current platforms. Wide-detector and high-rotation-speed scanners (Revolution CT, Aquilion ONE) put more miles on the slip ring per scan.
Why it matters to engineers: Full ring replacement is a major service event — typically planned with the OEM. Brush wear is the common PM line item; carbon dust on the inner ring is the early-warning signal.