What x-ray processor would you recommend to a collegue?

I need a little feedback from those who know. We are looking at new processors. Can anyone out there tell me what you have been happy with? We have an old AT2000 right now on it's last legs, but we purchased it used and it has served us well for two years. We like it but want to weigh our options. I like that it is self-replenishing and doesn't take up much room. All we take are pans and cephs. Thanks in advance for your advice
lsnorvell
Official Townie
Member # 8283

AT 2000 is the finest automatic developer on the market. I have had one for approx- imately 10 years and recently sold it because I have gone digital. I don't know how old your machine is but the key point is maintenance. This is VERY important. We did a weekly, monthly and quarterly cleaning as specified in the owners manual and had excellent service from the machine. The only problem we had was with the control module and water sensor that were replaced. Other than that it worked like a charm.
Paul Caselle
Official Townie
Member # 8595

Same for my office. I have two and they have held up and preformed well.
bdeason
Official Townie
Member # 8207

The AT2000 we have is second hand from a dentist colleague who purchased a practice. I'm not sure how old it is, but we maintain it properly. Each time I clean it I hand scrub all the rollers with the soft scrubber provided with our cleaner. The problem we are running into is that we are now having to run a cleaning film before each patient to get x-rays that are not ‘filmy.’ I think that in addition to the age of the machine, part of the problem is that we are not in the office from Thursday until Monday and the chemicals don't get stirred up well. I run a cleaning film every morning just to get it going. It has definitely been a great machine and I hope that's the one my boss goes for. Thanks for your input!
lsnorvell
Official Townie
Member # 8283

It sounds like you may have a problem with the water sensor. When you activate the developer does water start filling the wash tank? Two things come to mind. First, the water sensor may be corroded and that will give you an occasional problem with film being washed properly. Second, if the sensor gets wet you may have a problem in that the wash tank won't fill at all. A new sensor is cheap to replace. The fact that the processor is off for a few days is not the issue. You should have a water filter on the water line and you should run a cleaning film every morning. Replace the cleaning film weekly after you clean the rollers with formula 2000 or when it becomes filmy. Another issue is the agitators. Are they functioning properly? Either they are inserted incorrectly or need replacement which is cheap to fix. I assume you have an automatic replenisher which is a must.
Paul Caselle
Official Townie
Member # 8595

Paul,
Yes, I can hear the wash tank filling and yes, it does automatically replenish the chemicals. We use the Formula 2000 as recommended. Your advice about the filter is something I'll have to check on. I'm not really sure on that one. As far as the agitators, everything seems to be doing it's job properly. The films are great quality otherwise. Thanks for the help.
lsnorvell
Official Townie
Member # 8283

Well I guess if everything looks good then you probably need a tech to evaluate the problem. If the rollers are in good shape and everything else checks out then the only other thing is the electronic control. It costs about $700 when you trade in the old one. (I deal with Patterson and that had been their policy in the past) Of course if the doc needs the write-off, just buy a new one by going to www.airtexhniques.com and reviewing their local supplier list.
paul caselle
Official Townie
Member # 8595

Paul,
Thanks a bunch for all the suggestions. I'll let you know what we decide.
lsnorvell
Official Townie
Member # 8283

As far as I'm concerned, there is only ONE auto-processor to be considered... Air Techniques AT-2000. Nothing else compares. We used an AT-2000 on the ship when I was in the Navy. It got a LOT of use in a tough environment. It never failed us. It's what we have in the office I currently share with another dentist. It's what I will have in my new office. No doubt about it... the AT-2000 is THE processor.
Mike Barr
Official Townie
Member # 8298

I asked the guys who would know and I got the same answer from everyone. I think that's the way my boss is leaning anyway. I'll keep you posted, but if I had my druthers, AT 2000 would be my ONLY choice. Thanks guys!
lsnorvell
Official Townie
Member # 8283