VANCOUVER, British Columbia, June 11, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Zecotek Photonics Inc. (TSX-V: ZMS) (Frankfurt: W1I.F) (OTCPK: ZMSPF), a developer of leading-edge photonics technologies for healthcare, industrial and scientific markets, is pleased to announce that it is working closely with a tier 1, healthcare OEM based in Europe to assure quality control protocols within its new Lutetium Fine Silicate (LFS) scintillation crystals manufacturing facility in Shanghai. The healthcare OEM originally ordered LFS crystals for a new line of high resolution positron emission tomography PET/CT medical imaging devices in October 2017. After testing and qualifying Zecotek's arrays produced in China, the healthcare OEM has since made a larger scale order of arrays for final design. The OEM has also deployed personnel to assist with the setup of the crystal growing facility, with higher production volumes to commence later this year.

"We have worked closely with our largest customers to ensure that the LFS scintillation crystals produced in our Shanghai facility meet their exacting standards," said Dr. A.F. Zerrouk, Chairman, President, and CEO of Zecotek Photonics Inc. "It is a very exciting time for our Company as we look to begin production of our patented LFS crystals within the next three weeks as site preparation and renovations are now complete. We have benefited from working closely with our customers and specifically the European healthcare OEM, in the setting up of quality control protocols to meet the highest industry standards. We are looking forward to supplying our crystals to the aforementioned European customer as well as other large OEM customers, building high resolution PET machines."

By establishing its own crystal manufacturing facility in Shanghai, the Company is strategically positioning itself to become a dominant supplier. Scintillation crystals play a vital role in fundamental in healthcare, science, industrial and security applications, where they are used to convert high-energy photons into visible light. Zecotek's patented LFS scintillation material with all its variants are known to have superior operating attributes and were developed specifically for use in medical imaging systems, high-energy physics experiments, and other applications.
Zecotek has attracted Chinese and international medical device OEMs, including the tier 1 European OEM adopting LFS crystals, to use the fast and bright LFS scintillation crystals in new generation PET and PET/CT medical scanning devices. New and more efficient readout systems, combined with faster and brighter crystals and more sensitive photo detectors, have created the technological environment where the new devices are being readied for the medical markets with far superior operating systems than current devices being used in hospitals today. Medical officials around the world are seeking faster, higher resolution scanning devices as aging populations place greater demands on their respective healthcare systems.

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