Water-Cooled X-Ray Tube for High Flux and Fast Stabilization | SeeRay

The SeeRay series is a high-performance water cooled x-ray tube engineered for applications requiring superior flux stability and power density. Achieve up to 100W of power with ultra-fast spot stabilization in a compact, integrated package.
Request a Quote SeeRay Water-Cooled X-Ray Tube

High Power Density with Direct Anode Cooling

The SeeRay is Micro X-Ray’s advanced solution for high-flux inspection, featuring a fully integrated cooling system. Unlike standard air-cooled units, this water cooled x-ray tube utilizes direct anode cooling combined with a diamond-coated anode. This architecture allows for exceptional heat dissipation, enabling a power density of up to 1.5 W/µm.

Designed for seamless OEM integration, the SeeRay offers ultra-fast spot stabilization, ensuring consistent imaging performance from the moment of activation. It serves as a high power x-ray tube solution (up to 100W) while maintaining a compact form factor customized for your system’s geometry.

Key Features:

  • Integrated Cooling: Built-in coolant tubing allows for simple integration without complex external jacket designs.
  • Radiation Protection: This is a radiation shielded x-ray tube (partial shielding), reducing the thickness requirements for external lead enclosures.
  • Customizable Integration: We offer customizable high voltage (HV) and low voltage (LV) cables, as well as coolant tubing lengths to fit your specific machine architecture.
  • Safety Interlocks: Includes an internal thermal switch (70º C) to protect the source from overheating.
  • Integrated Water
    (Direct Anode)

    • Cooling
  • 100W (Watt)
    • Max Power
  • 60kV (Kilovolt)
    • Max Voltage
  • 1.5 W/µm
    • Power Density

Beam Geometry Options

To accommodate different imaging requirements, the SeeRay is available in two distinct mechanical configurations, as detailed in our engineering drawings.

Standard Configuration

  • Beam Angle: 25º
  • FOD (Focus-to-Object Distance): 1.22″ (31.0 mm)
  • Design: Optimized for applications requiring a tighter beam collimation and standard mounting distances.

Wide Angle Configuration

  • Beam Angle: 40º
  • FOD (Focus-to-Object Distance): 1.20″ (30.5 mm)

Design: features a modified window opening to allow for a broader cone of emission, ideal for inspecting larger surface areas at shorter distances.

Technical Data

Specification Details
Product Name SeeRay Water-Cooled X-Ray Tube
Max Voltage 60kV
Max Power 100W (50kV model also available)
Focal Spot Size 50µm – 1000µm (±50%)
Target Material Tungsten (W), Copper (Cu)
Beam Angle 25º or 40º
Window Material 127µm Beryllium
Filament Current 1.7A (Standard), 2.0A (Option)
Anode Current 2mA (Standard)
Cooling Method Direct Water Cooling (0.79 Gal/min or 3 L/min recommended)
Weight 1.59kg (3.5lbs)
Max Coolant Temp 21º

Industry Applications

The SeeRay’s combination of high flux and fast stabilization makes it ideal for precision analytical and NDT tasks

  1. High-Flux NDT

    • The direct anode cooling x-ray tube design supports higher power loads (100W), making it suitable for inspecting denser materials that require greater penetration.

  2. X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF)

    • Stable flux output ensures precise elemental analysis for material science and mining applications.

  3. Inline Manufacturing

    • Ultra-fast spot stabilization allows for rapid start-up cycles, essential for high-speed automated inspection lines.

  4. Custom Geometry

    • Flexible cable and tubing lengths make it the preferred choice for restricted-space OEM architectures.

Other resources


Share this post

Table of contents



Need a cooling configuration?

Contact us for more information, from general to technical questions , our team is ready to assist.

"*" indicates required fields

You may like

More cool products

View all posts

Frequently asked questions

A water‑cooled X‑ray tube is a mini‑focused tube where cooling water circulates through built‑in tubing to remove heat from the anode. This allows the tube to handle higher power (up to 100 W) and deliver stable, high‑flux X‑ray output for demanding imaging and inspection tasks.

The SeeRay water‑cooled X‑ray tube is rated for up to 100 W (with a 50 kV option also available), making it suitable for high‑flux inspection and heavy‑duty NDT applications.

Water-cooled vs Air-cooled X-ray tubes

Point Water-cooled X-ray tube Air-cooled X-ray tube
Best for High power, continuous duty, high-flux work Lower to medium power, simpler setups
Heat removal Very strong (water carries heat away fast) Limited (air removes heat slower)
Typical result More stable output, shorter warm-up/stabilization Output can drift more as it heats up
Duty cycle Can run longer at higher power Often needs more cool-down time
System needs Needs water loop: flow, hoses, temperature control Needs airflow/fan and clear ventilation
Maintenance More parts (pump/lines), but stable for heavy use Fewer parts, but heat stress can be higher at limits
Best use cases Inline inspection, high throughput, dense materials Lab use, intermittent inspection, lower throughput

Yes. The SeeRay’s combination of high power and fast stabilization is designed for high‑flux NDT, enabling inspection of dense materials that require deep penetration.

Standard vs Wide-angle beam configurations (Water-cooled tube): 

Point Standard beam configuration Wide-angle beam configuration
Beam shape Narrower cone Wider cone
Coverage Smaller area per shot Larger area per shot
Best when You want controlled beam / tighter field coverage You need wide field coverage or faster scanning
Typical setup Works well with collimation and focused geometry Better for large targets at short distances
Trade-off Less coverage per image More coverage, but more scatter/stray coverage to manage

The SeeRay recommends about 3 L/min (0.79 gal/min) of water flow for efficient cooling. The coolant should be kept at or below 21 °C.

The SeeRay includes partial radiation shielding built into the tube housing. This reduces external shielding requirements but does not replace the need for proper cabinet shielding in final equipment.

Water‑cooled tubes like the SeeRay are often used for X‑ray fluorescence (XRF) to analyze a variety of elements and for high‑flux inspection of dense materials in industrial and NDT contexts. The tube can operate with tungsten or copper targets.

The SeeRay emphasizes fast spot stabilization, thanks to integrated cooling and a diamond‑coated anode, it reaches stable power quickly. While a specific time isn’t provided, this feature supports rapid start‑stop cycles in automated inspection lines.