Floor Levelness & Flatness Checking
A floor that looks flat to the eye can still be out of tolerance for gantry alignment. Imaging equipment suppliers specify flatness and levelness limits that most contractors never test for — and a floor found out of spec after the equipment arrives is a far more expensive fix than checking beforehand.
Why gantry alignment depends on floor tolerance
A CT or cathlab gantry rotates on a fixed base. Small deviations in floor levelness translate into alignment error at the point of rotation, and the equipment has no way to compensate for a base that is not true. MRI systems have their own flatness tolerance, tied to table travel and patient positioning accuracy.
This is not a finish-quality question. It is a functional requirement of the installation, and the installation team will measure it.
Construction flat is not imaging flat
General construction flatness standards are considerably looser than what imaging equipment requires. A floor that a civil contractor would sign off as good work can still be outside the equipment tolerance — which is precisely why this gets missed. Nobody did anything wrong; they were working to the wrong standard.
We measure against the specific tolerance stated in the pre-installation documentation for your equipment model, not against a generic construction benchmark.
Measure before the equipment ships
The cost difference is stark. Correcting a floor in an empty room is straightforward work. Correcting it after the gantry is on site means demobilising the installation team, rescheduling, and doing the work around equipment that cannot easily be moved.
Correcting an out-of-tolerance floor
- Self-levelling compounds where the deviation is modest and consistent
- Screed correction for larger or more localised variation
- Structural packing or base preparation where the deviation originates below the finish
- Re-measurement after correction, with recorded values handed over
Full floor replacement is rarely necessary. Most out-of-tolerance floors are correctable without breaking up the existing slab.
Part of the wider flooring scope
Levelness is one requirement among several. Imaging room flooring also has to carry the equipment load, and is typically finished in anti-static or conductive vinyl with seamless coved edges. Cable routing through trenches, trays or false flooring has to be planned before the floor is laid rather than chased into it afterwards.
Floor tolerance, answered.
What flatness tolerance does a CT or MRI room need?
Can flatness be corrected without breaking up the existing floor?
Our civil contractor says the floor is level. Is that enough?
When should the floor be checked?
Continue reading.
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