Magnaflux history

In 1930, recognizing this untapped potential, German businessman Richard Seifert began developing higher energy X-Ray equipment and expanded the scope of its use beyond medicine to welding and other industrial applications.

The first European who built a magnetic particle crack detector was an Italian in 1932: Giraudi.

In Germany Rudolf Berthold and Otto Vaupel applied them after 1933 to welded joints.

They formed 1934 a company with the name Magnaflux in 1934, famous world-wide until today.

Through the Seifert-organisation he had connections to Karasek who emigrated to Brazil in 1948 after the communistic revolution in Cechoslovakia.

In Germany 1949 two persons received information about the Firestone-Sperry-Reflectoscope by publications in technical papers: Josef Krautkrämer in Cologne and Karl Deutsch in Wuppertal.

Seifert died in 1969, but his company kept leadership in technical X-ray-application under the direction of his youngest daughter Elisabeth Samusch.

Originally manufactured in 1991 by Sonotech, the Clear Image Gel product line now includes both a high viscosity and a medium viscosity gel.

They all stopped their production before the 70-ies, Kelvin-Hughes also stopped at the same time, Sperry was later renamed Automation Ind., around 1995.

In early 2000, as customers expressed concerns about infection prevention in the clinical setting, a new packaging option was developed for Clear Image Gel.

Clear Image Singles® Gel, introduced in 2004, was the first unit dose flexible package for gel in the industry.

Since acquiring the Sonotech medical products gel business in July of 2012 from Magnaflux (a division of Illinois Tool Works), NEXT Medical Products Company continues to manufacture Clear Image, Clear Image Singles and LithoClear Gels.

In October of 2014, the assets of the former BLOXR Corporation were sold to BLOXR Solutions, LLC, a new business entity established as a wholly owned division of NEXT Medical Products.

In July of 2015, NEXT Medical began distributing SONO Disinfectant Wipes.

In January 2016, NEXT Medical acquired the O.R. Comfort line of adjustable patient positioning devices.

In February of 2017, NEXT Medical Products became the exclusive distributor in North and South America of the PROACT line of reusable and disposable laryngoscopes.