Trixell
A flat-panel X-ray detector joint venture founded 1997 between Thales (then Thomson-CSF), Siemens, and Philips. Trixell does not sell to end users; its detectors are exclusively integrated into the parent OEMs' imaging systems and shipped under the parent-OEM brand. The result is that a substantial fraction of the European-OEM installed base in cath labs, fluoroscopy, and digital radiography uses underlying detector hardware from a single supplier — even where the surface-level OEM appears to be competing.
The Pixium detector family is Trixell's principal product line, spanning sizes from ~25 × 25 cm (Pixium 2520) through the 43 × 43 cm formats (Pixium 4343) used in high-end cath / IR rooms. Most platforms ship with cesium-iodide (CsI) scintillator on amorphous-silicon TFT readout; some configurations use gadolinium-oxysulfide for specific dose / cost positioning.
Operationally, the JV structure means panel-level service is routed through the parent OEM's service organization, not directly through Trixell. Aftermarket / refurb supply of Pixium panels exists but is thin compared to detector platforms with multiple OEM customers (e.g., Varex Imaging panels).
Product line
- Pixium 2520 / 3543 / 4343 / 4600 / 4700 — flat-panel detectors at increasing size / pixel-pitch / readout-rate tiers.
- Pixium RAD family — DR / radiographic configurations.
Distinctive technology
- CsI scintillator on a-Si TFT readout — the conventional indirect-conversion architecture.
- High-frame-rate readout for fluoroscopy / cine acquisition (cath-lab Pixium models support 30 fps and above).
- Dynamic-range optimization for fluoroscopy + DSA workflows.
Market position
- Embedded supplier to Philips, Siemens, and (historically) several other downstream brands.
- Major share of European-OEM cath / fluoro installed base.
- Direct competitor at the panel-supply level: Varex Imaging (multi-customer detector + tube supplier), Canon (in-house panels), and Hamamatsu (research / specialty panels).
Refurb posture
- Panel supply is OEM-routed — no direct Trixell aftermarket relationship.
- Cross-OEM panel commonality at the underlying-glass level exists but is not formally cross-serviceable through OEM channels.
- Detector age + bad-pixel count are the principal refurb due-diligence variables on platforms using Pixium.