Automatic scraper for radioactive materials

Abstract

An automatic scraper (1) for scraping a radioactive target (101) used in radiopharmaceuticals, comprising: a target holder (2) for holding the radioactive target; a scraping unit (3) having a scraping member for scraping the radioactive target disposed in the target holder; a container (5) for receiving the material scraped from the radioactive target; a motor (6) for moving the scraping unit and the target holder relative to each other; and a control unit for controlling the motor. The surface (102) of the radioactive target to be scraped is oriented at an angle between 45 and 315 degrees, with an angle of 0 degrees corresponding to a radioactive target oriented such that the surface to be scraped is perpendicular to the vertical direction and faces upward, and the angle of the target corresponds to a clockwise rotation of the target from 0 degrees.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a scraper for decomposing radioactive material from solid materials by scraping them off. The solid materials are generally present in the form of plates. The scrapings resulting from the radioactive material can then be further processed to purify the radioactive material. This process can be used in the production of radioactive material for the production of radioactive molecules or radiopharmaceuticals. [Background technology]

[0002] The present invention relates to the production and purification of radioactive materials, such as specific isotopes of atoms. The primary use of these isotopes is in biomedical diagnostics and therapeutics. To prepare radioactive molecules or radiopharmaceuticals, it is necessary to prepare a radioactive material that is used with a molecule to be radiolabeled to form a radiolabeled molecule. Often, the radioactive material is irradiated in a cyclotron to become radioactive and provided as a plate containing a radionuclide. Cyclotrons for biomedical radionuclide production are generally small and are used to accelerate light ions (protons, deuterons, or helium nuclei) to produce primarily short-lived, proton-rich radionuclides. Plates prepared in this manner are commonly referred to as target plates or simply targets.

[0003] The purification and preparation of radioactive materials from target plates has primarily been performed by manual methods. However, several automated methods for purifying radioactive materials from target plates are known. International Publication No. 2015 / 195 042 discloses a system and method for the automated production of radionuclide-labeled molecules, including the purification of radionuclides. The radionuclide used in International Publication No. 2015 / 195 042 is astatine-211 (At-211), an alpha-emitting radionuclide suitable for nuclear medicine applications, such as the treatment of metastatic cancer. At-211 is a rare nuclide and must be artificially synthesized to be present in sufficient quantities to be useful in nuclear medicine applications. A common route for producing At-211 is by irradiating stable bismuth in a cyclotron. After irradiation, At-211 must be converted to a chemically useful form, for example, by wet extraction or dry distillation of the irradiated target material, and then subjected to a chemical coupling reaction for use as a component in radiopharmaceuticals.

[0004] Typically, the amount of bismuth converted to astatine-211 in an irradiated bismuth target plate is only a small fraction of the total plate. By scraping off the outer layer of the target containing the radionuclide of interest, the efficiency of the subsequent purification process is improved. This scraping eliminates the need to subject the entire target to further purification and processing, allowing a more concentrated portion with a larger surface area-to-volume ratio to be subjected to the purification process. Using a more concentrated starting material for further purification steps reduces the time and / or resources, such as the amount of chemicals, heating operations, and other operations required to purify At-211.

[0005] WO 2015 / 195 042 discloses an automated method and system for the purification of radionuclides and the synthesis of radiopharmaceuticals. However, there is still a need to improve this process. Because radionuclides are radioactive, it is important to prevent uncontrolled leakage of the radionuclides from the system during the process to protect the environment from contamination. The radionuclides should be treated in an appropriate manner to reduce radiation damage to personnel working with the system and provide a good yield of usable radionuclides for use.

[0006] Therefore, the present invention aims to provide improved safety and improved radionuclide yields. Summary of the Invention

[0007] The present invention relates to an automatic scraper for scraping radioactive targets in order to use scrapings made of radioactive material for radiopharmaceuticals or radioactive molecules. Radioactive targets can be made of different types of materials, but are generally metals in which irradiation affects the material to contain other isotopes or elements than were originally present in the material.

[0008] The automated scraper is thus suitably used to remove and collect irradiated material from a cyclotron target and includes a device for scraping and efficiently collecting the irradiated layer of the cyclotron target containing the desired radionuclide. Certain radionuclides, such as At-211, are produced in a cyclotron. In this process, raw materials contained on the cyclotron target are converted to the desired radionuclide by irradiating the target with a cyclotron beam consisting of alpha particles, deuterons, or protons. Thus, the desired radionuclide is produced on the surface of the cyclotron target. After irradiation of the cyclotron target and the formation of the desired radionuclide, it is desirable to separate the irradiated layer from the remainder of the target. This can improve the efficiency of further radionuclide purification processes, such as dry distillation and wet chemistry. The automated scraper described herein is user-friendly, safe, and enables subsequent radionuclide separation methods from the cyclotron target with high yields. Although the automatic scraper is generally illustrated for scraping off the irradiated layer of a cyclotron target, it is of course possible to use targets prepared in other ways in the automatic scraper.

[0009] Automatic scrapers have many different features, including a target holder for holding a radioactive target having a surface to be scraped. The radioactive target used is generally a piece of material with an essentially flat surface, such as a metal block. The function of the holder is to keep the target stable as it is scraped.

[0010] The scraper also includes a scraping unit having a scraping member for scraping the radioactive target disposed in the target holder. The scraping member may be any one of a blade, a plurality of blades, a rough edge, a file, and sandpaper. In a specific embodiment, the scraping member is a blade.

[0011] The multiple blades may be arranged similarly to the blades of a multiple-blade shaving razor, where the blades are configured to simultaneously abrade the radioactive target. A rasp or file may include multiple teeth, where the teeth are configured to simultaneously abrade the radioactive target. Sandpaper may include multiple particles, where the particles are configured to simultaneously abrade the radioactive target.

[0012] Hereinafter, unless otherwise specified, the scraping members will be referred to as blades, however, it will be understood that the blades may be replaced with multiple blades, rasps, files, or sandpaper, mutatis mutandis.

[0013] The scraping unit is positioned so that it can move relative to the surface of the target while removing material from the target and forming "scrapings" that contain the desired radioactive material. Thus, scrapings refers to the material scraped off from the target.

[0014] The scraper further comprises a container for receiving the scrapings, which can be made of different materials: glass, in particular quartz glass, may be used as the container material, allowing for visual detection of the material in the container, while being an inert material that does not react with the scrapings coming from the target and can withstand heating if the scrapings are further processed in the container.

[0015] The scraper also includes a motor for moving the scraping unit and the target holder relative to each other. The most commonly used target holder holds the target in a fixed position while the scraping unit with its blade moves across the target's surface.

[0016] The scraper includes a control unit for controlling the motor. The control unit can be more or less sophisticated. In a basic version, the control unit can be a simple switch that is manually activated to turn the motor on and off and move the scraping unit and target holder relative to each other so that the blade of the scraping unit moves along the surface of the target to create scrapings. In more sophisticated designs, the control unit can include preprogrammed movement patterns for the scraping unit and / or control the scraper to move in different directions along the surface of the target, as well as options for controlling the pressure with which the blade is pressed against the target surface, lifting the blade from the target surface, or changing the angle of attack of the blade relative to the surface being scraped.

[0017] To improve the scraping process and transfer of scraping material from the target to the container, the target plate is positioned so that the surface of the target to be scraped is inclined. The surface to be scraped is positioned at an angle between 45 degrees and 315 degrees, with a 0-degree angle corresponding to a target oriented so that the surface to be scraped is perpendicular to the vertical direction and faces upward. The target angle corresponds to a clockwise rotation of the target. The inclined surface of the target to be scraped allows gravity to act on the scraped material, which then falls into the container with the aid of gravity. The target typically has an essentially flat surface that is scraped.

[0018] When the tilt angle of the target surface is between 0 and 90 degrees and between 270 and 360 degrees, the tilt angle is called a positive angle. A positive angle means that an object under the influence of gravity will follow the target surface while attempting to move downward due to the action of gravity. A tilt angle greater than 90 degrees and less than 270 degrees is called a negative angle. A negative angle means that an object on the surface being scraped loses contact with the surface and falls straight off the surface when under the influence of gravity. Therefore, a loose object on the surface of the target being scraped, which is not affected by adhesion or friction from the target plate, will move along the target surface when the tilt angle is positive, i.e., between 0 and 90 degrees and between 270 and 360 degrees, while the object will fall off the surface when the tilt angle is negative, i.e., greater than 90 degrees and less than 270 degrees.

[0019] When the angle is positive, the scrapings generally follow the surface of the target until they reach the lower edge of the target and fall into the container. This arrangement has the advantage of having the same drop point for scrapings, i.e., the lower edge of the target, regardless of where the material is scraped off the target. On the other hand, by having a negative tilt angle, the scrapings fall directly off the target plate as they are scraped off, and therefore there is no risk of the scrapings shifting laterally while rolling or sliding along the surface of the target, as would be the case with a negative tilt angle.

[0020] The blade and target may be positioned so that the cutting edge of the blade contacts the surface of the target at an angle of attack of 80 to 100 degrees, preferably 85 to 95 degrees, and most preferably about 90 degrees relative to the target surface.

[0021] The automatic scraper may be designed to further include a shielding plate that moves with the blade and scraping unit. The shielding plate is positioned parallel to and adjacent to the target surface in front of the blade to prevent floating scrapings from deviating from the desired path leading to a receptacle for receiving the scrapings. In particular, the shielding plate is intended to prevent scrapings from flying off the surface of the target as they are cut from the target.

[0022] The automatic scraper may also include a funnel device for collecting scraped / shaved material as it leaves the target surface so that it can be guided through the funnel into a container for receiving the scraped material. The funnel device is used near the landing point to guide the floating scrapings. Thus, the funnel device helps reduce the risk of the scrapings falling out of the container.

[0023] The funnel device may be designed with an opening that corresponds to the length of the blade.

[0024] The automatic scraper may also include specially designed features for controlling the elevation and lowering of the scraping unit blade. The scraping unit and its blade can be adjusted to be lowered into contact with the target surface and raised to be removed from the target surface by using guides that define the positions at which the blade is lowered and raised as the scraping unit moves along the target. By adjusting the guides or using different guides, the target area scraped can be adjusted. The use of guides provides robust and precise control of the lowering and raising motion of the scraping unit. The guides are designed to mechanically influence the lowering or raising of the scraping unit. The guides may be, for example, notches in a plate or rail. The guides form part of the fixed structure of the automatic scraper and are designed to interact with parts, such as bolts, that form part of the moving scraping unit. The lowering and raising of the blade can be adjusted by using adjustable guides or by using different guides.

[0025] The blade of the scraping unit can also be adjusted using a programmable control unit to be lowered into contact with the target surface and raised to be removed from the target surface. By programming the control unit to control the motor or actuator to lower and raise the blade at desired locations, versatile and precise scraping of the target surface is achieved. In this case, the movement pattern of the scraping unit can be quickly shifted between different pre-programmed scraping sequences.

[0026] Based on the positioning of the active area of ​​the target, the scraping process can be controlled so that the blade is lowered to contact the target surface and raised to remove it from the target surface. In this way, the concentration of the desired radionuclide in the scrapings can be increased compared to random scraping or scraping the entire surface of the target. The scraped area of ​​the target plate can be predefined so that the target scrapes the surface that typically has the highest concentration of the desired radionuclide, or can be predefined by using a detector to identify the area of ​​the target where the concentration of the desired radionuclide is highest.

[0027] The target holder may be removable so that it can be removed from the automatic scraper. This feature facilitates inserting the target into the target holder.

[0028] The automatic scraper may be designed so that the contact pressure between the blade and the target is adjustable by providing a spring device on the blade and / or the target to provide a force that moves the blade and the target toward each other. By having a spring device, the contact force between the blade and the target can be maintained at a similar pressure even when there should be some small difference in the distance between the scraping unit and the target. The spring device also compensates for irregularities in the target surface to be scraped.

[0029] The contact pressure between the blade and the target can be controlled to optimize the abrasion of the target. The contact force preload that moves the blade and target toward each other can be adjusted. If a spring device is used, the spring constant or spring load can be adjusted. Instead of, or in addition to, controlling the spring load, the contact force between the blade and the target may be adjustable by controlling the lowering and raising of the blade from the target surface to provide the desired force. By controlling the contact force between the target and the blade, the device can be adapted to use targets of different materials and thicknesses to be abraded.

[0030] The blade can also be positioned to accommodate any undesired offset between the target plate and the blade. The blade can be positioned to pivot to self-adjust for any angular offset of the target surface, and to adapt the cutting edge of the blade to contact the target along its length. This may be achieved, for example, by a spring device. Of course, the target or target holder could alternatively be provided with such a device.

[0031] The angle of attack of the blades may be adjustable. The angle of attack refers to the inclination of the blade relative to the target surface, which may be set at different angles. Typically, the angle of attack is adjusted to 90 degrees.

[0032] The automatic scraper may include further devices to facilitate collection of the scrapings in a container. The container for receiving material scraped from the target may include an air recirculation device to collect the scraped material in the container. By having a recirculating air flow, any scrapings that may be collected by the air flow are prevented from escaping into the environment.

[0033] A number of features can be designed to work together appropriately to collect the scrapings from the target into a container. One method is to design the blade so that its horizontal position relative to the blade's position is the same. Therefore, in this case, the container and any possible funnel device cooperating with the container are arranged to move with the blade so that the container is positioned in the same position relative to the blade. This device is intended to be particularly useful when the target surface is arranged with a negative slope, allowing the scrapings to fall directly onto the target surface where they are scraped off.

[0034] The blade and target move relative to each other. This can be achieved by arranging for the blade to move while the target holder is maintained in a fixed position, or by moving the target holder while the blade is maintained in a fixed position. Of course, it is also possible to move both the target holder and blade simultaneously, but such an arrangement is generally more costly.

[0035] The automatic scraper may be designed so that the target holder, scraper, and container are housed in an airtight casing, which reduces the risk of radioactive material leaking from the automatic scraper during scraping, thus improving safety. Such a casing may be made of a radiation-protective material to protect the operator from radiation.

[0036] The automated scraper may be a stand-alone device or may form part of a purification system for further processing and purification of radioactive scrapings resulting from the target. Processing and purification of the desired radioactive material may be performed, for example, by dry distillation or wet processing of the scrapings, performed in a system including the automated scraper. Including a scraper in such a purification system can shorten the time to produce a purified product, increase safety, and reduce the risk of radioactive material being released into the environment. Thus, the scrapings may be automatically transported for further downstream processing by the purification system. Such a system may include, for example, a feature for automatically moving a container to transport the scrapings contained therein to the system for further processing and purification of the radioactive scrapings. The automated scraper described herein may be used, for example, in a system such as that disclosed in WO 2015 / 195 042.

[0037] The present invention also relates to a method of preparing radioactive material for use in radiopharmaceuticals, the method including placing a radioactive target held in a target holder of an automated scraper according to the above-described embodiment of the present invention. The method further includes moving a scraping unit relative to the radioactive target such that a blade of the scraping unit scrapes the radioactive material from the radioactive target. The method also includes collecting the scraped radioactive material in a container.

[0038] Moving the scraping unit relative to the radioactive target so that the blade of the scraping unit scrapes the radioactive material from the radioactive target may include moving the scraping unit toward the radioactive target so that the blade contacts a target surface of the radioactive target, moving the scraping unit parallel to the target surface so that the blade scrapes against the target surface, scraping the radioactive material from the radioactive target, and moving the scraping unit away from the radioactive target so that the blade breaks contact with the target surface.

[0039] Radioactive targets can be made of different types of materials, but are generally metals where irradiation affects the material to contain other isotopes or elements than were originally present in the material.

[0040] Collecting the scraped radioactive material in a container can include positioning the container below the radioactive target and positioning the radioactive target such that gravity acting on the scraped radioactive material causes the scraped radioactive material to fall into the container. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0041] The foregoing and other aspects of the present invention will be explained in more detail with reference to the following drawings. [Figure 1] 1 shows a schematic diagram of an automatic scraper. [Figure 2] Disclose the desired tilt angle of the target surface to be ablated. [Figure 3] 1 discloses a schematic diagram of a second embodiment of an automatic scraper; [Figure 4] Discloses an isometric view of the prototype of the automatic scraper DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0042] In FIG. 1 , features of an automated scraper 1 are generally disclosed. The automated scraper 1 is intended to be used to scrape material from the surface 102 of a radioactive target 101. The radioactive target 101 may be made of any suitable material for which it is desirable to form "scrapings" by scraping and separating material from the radioactive target 101 along the surface 102. Generally, the target 101 is a rectangular-shaped piece with two dimensions (e.g., length and width) greater than the third dimension (e.g., thickness) and a flat surface. The target 101 can consist of a single bulk material or two or more layers of material. In one embodiment, the target 101 consists of a first layer composed of materials selected to undergo different transmutation reactions during irradiation and a second layer of a carrier material. In another embodiment, the target 101 comprises a first thin layer of material that provides, for example, beam degradation, mechanical stability, and / or a means for encapsulation of the active material; a second layer composed of a material selected to undergo a different transmutation reaction during irradiation; and a third layer of a carrier material. In another embodiment, there are additional layers of material applied to support, for example, mechanical stability, including, for example, inter-material layer adhesion, thermal conductivity, and distinct material properties related to transmutation. Materials forming the combination of different layers can include, but are not limited to, metals, ceramics, and composites (capable of withstanding the high temperatures during irradiation).

[0043] Thus, "scrapings," defined as material scraped off the target 101 by the scraping process, may encompass a single material or multiple materials depending on the embodiment of the target 101 in use.

[0044] The automatic scraper 1 comprises a target holder 2 for holding a radioactive target 101. The target holder 2 can be designed with a recess into which the radioactive target 101 can be fitted. In this case, the target holder 2 is designed to hold the radioactive target 101 in a position such that the surface 102 is vertical. At the lower end of the target holder 2 there is a container 5 arranged to collect material scraped off from the radioactive target 101, the so-called scrapings.

[0045] The automated scraper 1 further comprises a scraping unit 3 having a blade 4 for scraping material from the surface 102 of the radioactive target 101. The blade 4 is positioned with a cutting edge having a 90 degree angle of attack relative to the flat target surface 102. However, the blade may be positioned with a different angle of attack. In some examples, the angle of attack may be between 80 and 100 degrees relative to the flat target surface 102. In other examples, the angle of attack may be between 85 and 95 degrees.

[0046] The automatic scraper 1 also includes a motor 6 for moving the scraping unit 3 to scrape the surface 102 of the target 101. There is a control unit 7 connected to the motor 6 for controlling the motor 6 and therefore the movement of the scraping unit 3.

[0047] In the following, when describing how scraping can be performed, lowering the blade 4 or scraping unit 3 means that the blade 4 moves toward the target surface 102, and raising the blade 4 or scraping unit 3 means that the blade 4 moves away from the target surface 102. The automatic scraper 1 is intended to operate in such a way that when the scraping unit 3 moves downward, the blade 4 is lowered to contact and scrape the target surface 102, and when the scraping unit 3 moves upward, the blade 4 is raised and removed from the target surface 102. Thus, according to one example of a scraping cycle, the blade 4 is lowered to contact the target surface 102 at a starting point in the upper region of the radioactive target 101, and then the scraping unit 3 moves downward while the blade is in contact with the target surface 102 until it reaches a stopping point in the lower region of the radioactive target 101. At the stopping point, the blade 4 is raised from the target surface 102, and the scraping unit 3 can be returned to the same or another starting point in the upper region of the radioactive target 101. When the scraping unit 3 reaches the starting point, the blade 4 is lowered into contact with the target surface 102, and a new scraping cycle can begin as the scraping unit 3 moves downward. Thus, by programming the control unit 7 to lower and raise the blade 4 at desired positions by controlling the motor 6 or a separate actuator, the blade 4 of the scraping unit 3 can be adjusted to lower into contact with and raise to remove from the target surface 102. Thus, the motor 6 may be designed to perform the raising and lowering of the scraping unit 3 in addition to moving the scraping unit 3 along the radioactive target 101. Alternatively, there may be additional features, such as dedicated guides or separate actuators for raising and lowering the scraping unit 3. Control of the lowering and raising of the scraping unit 3 may be based on the area of ​​the target 101 that is most active, so that the area with the most radioactive material is scraped.

[0048] Scraping can be fully automatic or semi-automatic. Fully automatic means that the motor 6 is fully controlled by the control unit 7 so that when the automatic scraper is turned on, it performs a predetermined number of scraping cycles with predetermined start and stop points. Semi-automatic means that the raising / lowering of the blade 4 and / or the upward / downward movement of the scraping unit 3 can be manually controlled via a control panel (not shown). Fully automatic programs can be pre-programmed at the factory or can be programmed in the field to provide a customized program for a particular user.

[0049] The radioactive target 101 is positioned in Figure 1 so that the target surface 102 is vertical. Positioning the target surface 102 vertically ensures that scrapings from the radioactive target 101 fall easily into the container 5. However, the target holder 2 may be designed and placed in the automatic scraper 1 so that the target surface 102 has other inclinations.

[0050] 2 discloses how a target holder 2 can be designed and positioned within the automatic scraper 1. The target holder 2 is positioned so that the surface 102 to be scraped of the radioactive target 101 is at an angle between 45 and 315 degrees, with a 0-degree angle corresponding to the radioactive target 101 being oriented with its surface 102 to be scraped horizontally and pointing upward at a 0-degree angle, and the target angle corresponding to a clockwise rotation of the target. The radioactive target is thus positioned to allow gravity to act on the scraped material, i.e., scrapings, which fall with the aid of gravity into the container 5 (see FIG. 1).

[0051] The target holder 2 with the target 101 is shown in three different positions, "A," "B," and "C," in FIG. 2 . Position "A" corresponds to the position of the target holder 2 shown in FIG. 1 , where the target surface 102 is vertical and rotated 270 degrees clockwise from a position where the target surface 102 is horizontal and facing upward. Position "B" corresponds to the position of the target holder 2 where the target surface 102 is at a 45-degree angle when the target holder is rotated clockwise from a starting position at a 0-degree angle, where the target surface 102 to be scraped is horizontal and facing upward. Position "B" defines one of the endpoints where the slope of the target surface 102 is considered to be at a proper slope. If the angle is less than 45 degrees, the surface is considered not sufficiently sloped to provide the desired drop of scrapings into a collecting container. The tilt angle of the target surface 102 is sufficient from 45 degrees, corresponding to position "B," to 315 degrees, corresponding to position "C," when the target holder is rotated clockwise from the 0 degree starting position defined above.

[0052] In addition to positioning the target holder 2 within the automated scraper 1 to provide the desired slope of the target surface 102, there are further features that can be added to improve scraping collection. In FIG. 3, which discloses all of the features from FIG. 1, a shielding plate 8 has been added to the automated scraper 1. The shielding plate 8 is positioned in front of the blade 4 and moves with the blade as it scrapes material as the scraping unit 3 moves downward. The shielding plate 8 prevents floating scrapings from deviating from the desired path and guides the floating scrapings toward the container 5.

[0053] The automatic scraper 1 of FIG. 3 also comprises a funnel device 9 designed to collect and direct the falling scrapings into the container 5 .

[0054] FIG. 3 further discloses a spring device 41 for providing a force acting in a direction that moves the blade 4 and the target 101 toward each other. This configuration allows the contact pressure between the blade 4 and the target 101 to be controlled by loosening or tightening the spring device 41. Thus, the preload of the contact force that moves the blade 4 and the target 101 toward each other can be adjusted by controlling the force from the spring device. The contact force between the blade 4 and the target 101 can also be adjusted by controlling the lowering and raising of the blade from the target surface 102 to provide a desired force. By providing an adjustable force between the blade 4 and the target 101, the force with which the blade engages the target surface 102 can be set to an appropriate level to provide efficient scraping that removes a desired amount of material, while avoiding too much pressure that would cause the blade 4 to cut too deep and get stuck or perform undesirable "jumps" during scraping.

[0055] 1 to 3 show a schematic diagram of an automatic scraper 1. FIG. 4 shows an isometric view of a prototype of the automatic scraper 1. In this view, the casing has been removed except for one side wall to reveal the interior of the automatic scraper 1. The automatic scraper of FIG. 4 includes a target holder 2, a scraping unit 3, a blade 4, a container 5, a motor 6, and a control unit 7. The target holder 2 has a notch into which a radioactive target 101 is inserted, and the blade 4 is lowered to contact the target surface 102. In this case, the control unit 7 is an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) located in the casing together with the motor 6.

[0056] There is also a shielding plate 8 located in front of the blade 4. The shielding plate 4 serves to keep the shavings close to the target surface 102 and prevent them from flying off in undesired directions.

[0057] There is also a funnel device 9 with a funnel opening 13. The funnel opening is preferably designed so that the length of the opening corresponds to the length of the blade 4. Corresponding means that the length of the opening has the same length as the length of the blade 4 or is longer than it.

[0058] In the prototype shown in FIG. 4, the lowering and raising of the scraping unit 3 is controlled by a guide 10. Only one side of the automatic scraper, including the guide 10, is shown in FIG. 4. However, in the prototype, a guide is also present on the other side (not shown). To allow the scraping unit 3 to follow the guide 10, the scraping unit 3 is provided with a guide bolt 11 designed to fit into a gap in the guide 10. The guide bolt 11 thus follows the contour of the guide, causing the blade to rise and fall as it moves along the target 101 according to the guide design. In this case, it can be seen that the gap in the guide 10 is wider in the central region, and the distance from the edge of the guide 10 to the target holder 2 is shorter than in the narrower portions of the guide at each end. The guide can be designed to be interchangeable or adjustable so that the position at which the blade 4 is lowered to contact the target surface 102 and the position at which the blade 4 is raised away from the target surface 102 can be changed. For example, if targets of different sizes are used, there can be different guides used for different targets.

[0059] The target holder 2 may be designed to be removable so that it can be easily removed from the automatic scraper 1 to facilitate insertion of a target into the target holder 2.

[0060] Also shown is a swivel bolt 12 that forms part of the scraping unit 3. The swivel bolt 3 extends vertically through the housing of the scraping unit 3. The blade 4 is pivotally connected to the swivel bolt 12. By allowing the blade 4 to pivot about the swivel bolt 12, the blade 4 can self-adjust to any angular offset of the target surface 102 and adapt the cutting edge of the blade 4 to contact the target along its length. Thus, if the target surface 102 is somewhat angled, for example, one of its sides is somewhat closer to the blade than the other side, the blade can self-adjust by pivoting about the swivel bolt 12 so that the edge of the blade 4 contacts the target surface 102 along its length. Without this feature, if the target 2 is positioned incorrectly in the holder, the blade 4 will not be adapted to scrape along the entire length of its cutting edge.

[0061] The automatic scraper 1 is preferably surrounded by a casing (not shown) such that the target holder 2, scraper 3, and container 5 are housed within the casing. The casing is preferably airtight so that scrapings cannot leak into the surroundings while the radioactive target 101 is being scraped. The casing also helps prevent unwanted flow disturbances from the surrounding air, thereby preventing scrapings from falling outside the funnel device 9. The casing may also be made of a radiation-protective material to reduce radiation exposure to personnel operating the automatic scraper 1. It should be understood that the present invention may be embodied in different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein.

Claims

1. An automatic scraper (1) for scraping off a radioactive target (101) used in radiopharmaceuticals, said automatic scraper (1) comprising: a target holder (2) for holding a radioactive target (101); a scraping unit (3) comprising a scraping member for scraping off the radioactive target (101) placed in the target holder (2); a container (5) for receiving material scraped off from said radioactive target (101); a motor (6) for moving the scraping unit (3) and the target holder (2) relative to each other; a control unit 7 that controls the motor 6; The surface (102) to be scraped of the radioactive target (101) is positioned at an angle between 45 degrees and 315 degrees, and the 0 degree angle corresponding to the radioactive target (101) is oriented so that the surface (102) to be scraped of the radioactive target (101) is perpendicular to the vertical direction and faces upward at an angle of 0 degrees, and the angle of the target corresponds to a clockwise rotation of the target (to allow gravity to act on the scraped material so that the scraped material falls into the container with the help of gravity).

2. 2. The automatic scraper (1) for preparing radioactive material for use in radiopharmaceuticals according to claim 1, wherein the scraping member is one of a blade (4), a plurality of blades, a rough edge, a file, and sandpaper.

3. 3. An automatic scraper (1) for preparing radioactive material for use in radiopharmaceuticals according to claim 2, wherein the scraping member comprises: a plurality of blades configured to simultaneously scrape the radioactive target (101); a rasp or file including multiple teeth configured to simultaneously scrape the radioactive target (101); and a sandpaper including multiple particles configured to simultaneously scrape the radioactive target.

4. 3. The automatic scraper (1) for preparing radioactive materials to be used in radiopharmaceuticals according to claim 2, wherein the scraping member is a blade (4) for scraping off the radioactive target (101).

5. 5. An automatic scraper (1) for preparing radioactive material to be used in radiopharmaceuticals according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the automatic scraper (1) is capable of separating layers of a single material and combinations of layers of multiple materials from the radioactive target (101).

6. 6. The automatic scraper (1) for preparing radioactive material for use in radiopharmaceuticals according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the scraping member and the target surface (102) are arranged so that the edge of the scraping member contacts the target surface (102) at an angle of attack of 80 to 100 degrees, preferably 85 to 95 degrees, most preferably about 90 degrees relative to the target surface (102).

7. 7. The automatic scraper (1) for preparing radioactive material to be used in radiopharmaceuticals according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the scraping unit (3) further comprises a shielding plate (8) which moves together with the scraping member, the shielding plate (8) being arranged in front of the scraping member to guide the floating scrapings.

8. 8. An automatic scraper (1) for preparing radioactive material to be used in radiopharmaceuticals according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that there is a funnel device (9) for collecting the scraped material as it leaves the target surface (102) so that it is guided through the funnel device (9) into the container (5) for receiving the scrapings / scraped material from the radioactive target (101).

9. 9. The automatic scraper (1) for preparing radioactive material to be used in radiopharmaceuticals according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the scraping member of the scraping unit (3) is adjusted so that it can be lowered into contact with the target surface (102) and raised to be removed from the target surface (102) by using a guide (10) that defines the position at which the scraping member is lowered and raised.

10. 9. The automatic scraper (1) for preparing radioactive materials to be used in radiopharmaceuticals according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the control unit (7) is programmed to control the motor (7) or a separate actuator to lower and raise the scraping member at a desired position, thereby adjusting the scraping member of the scraping unit (3) so that it lowers to contact the target surface (102) and rises to remove it from the target surface (102).

11. 11. The automatic scraper (1) for preparing radioactive material to be used in radiopharmaceuticals according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that, based on the position of the active area of ​​the target (101), the scraping member is lowered to contact the target surface (102) and the scraping member is raised to remove it from the target surface (102).

12. 12. An automatic scraper (1) for preparing radioactive materials to be used in radiopharmaceuticals according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that the target holder (2) is removable and can be removed from the automatic scraper (1).

13. The contact pressure between the scraping member and the target (101) is 13. An automatic scraper (1) for preparing radioactive material to be used in radiopharmaceuticals according to any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that it is adjustable by providing the scraping member and / or the target (101) with a spring device (41) for providing a force acting in a direction that moves the scraping member and the target (101) towards each other.

14. 14. An automatic scraper (1) for preparing radioactive substances to be used in radiopharmaceuticals according to any one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that the preload (spring device) of the contact force that moves the scraping member and the target towards each other is adjustable.

15. 15. An automatic scraper (1) for preparing radioactive material to be used in radiopharmaceuticals according to any one of claims 1 to 14, characterized in that the contact force between the scraping member and the target (101) is adjustable by controlling the lowering and raising of the scraping member from the target surface (102) to provide a desired force.

16. 16. An automatic scraper (1) for preparing radioactive material to be used in radiopharmaceuticals according to any one of claims 1 to 15, characterized in that the scraping member can be adapted to pivot about a swivel bolt (12) for self-adjusting the angular offset of the surface of the target, and the cutting edge of the scraping member can be adapted to contact the target along its length.

17. 17. An automatic scraper (1) for preparing radioactive substances to be used in radiopharmaceuticals according to any one of claims 1 to 16, characterized in that the angle of attack of the scraping element is adjustable.

18. 18. An automatic scraper (1) for preparing radioactive material to be used in radiopharmaceuticals according to any one of claims 1 to 17, characterized in that the container (5) for receiving the material scraped off from the target (101) is provided with an air recirculation device for collecting the scraped material in the container.

19. 9. The automatic scraper for preparing radioactive substances to be used in radiopharmaceuticals according to claim 8, characterized in that the funnel device (9) is designed with an opening (91) corresponding to the length of the scraping element.

20. 20. An automatic scraper (1) for preparing radioactive material to be used in radiopharmaceuticals according to any one of claims 1 to 19, characterized in that the container (5) is designed to cooperate with the scraping element so that its relative horizontal position to the position of the scraping element is the same.

21. 21. An automatic scraper (1) for preparing radioactive material to be used in radiopharmaceuticals according to any one of claims 1 to 20, characterized in that the scraping member is moving while the target holder (2) is kept in a fixed position.

22. 22. An automatic scraper (1) for preparing radioactive material to be used in radiopharmaceuticals according to any one of claims 1 to 21, characterized in that the scraping member is held in a fixed position while the target holder (2) is moving.

23. 23. An automatic scraper (1) for preparing radioactive material to be used in radiopharmaceuticals according to any one of claims 1 to 22, characterized in that the target holder (2), the scraper (3) and the container (5) are housed in a casing.

24. 24. An automatic scraper (1) for preparing radioactive substances to be used in radiopharmaceuticals according to claim 23, characterized in that the casing is made airtight.

25. 25. An automatic scraper (1) for preparing radioactive material to be used in radiopharmaceuticals according to any one of claims 1 to 24, characterized in that the automatic scraper (1) forms part of a purification system for further processing and purification of radioactive scrapings coming from the target (101).

26. 26. An automatic scraper (1) for preparing radioactive material to be used in radiopharmaceuticals according to claim 25, characterized in that the scrapings are automatically transported for further downstream processing by the purification system.

27. 1. A method for preparing a radioactive material for use in a radiopharmaceutical, comprising: - placing a radioactive target (101) held in the target holder (2) of an automatic scraper (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 26; moving the scraping unit (3) relative to the radioactive target (101) so that the scraping member of the scraping unit (3) scrapes off radioactive material from the radioactive target (101); collecting the scraped radioactive material in the container (5).

28. moving the scraping unit (3) relative to the radioactive target (101) so that the scraping member of the scraping unit (3) scrapes off radioactive material from the radioactive target (101); moving the scraping unit (3) towards the radioactive target (101) so that the scraping member comes into contact with the target surface (102) of the radioactive target (101); moving the scraping unit (3) parallel to the target surface (102) so that the scraping member scrapes the target surface (102), thereby scraping radioactive material from the radioactive target (101); and moving the scraping unit (3) away from the radioactive target (101) so that the scraping member breaks contact with the target surface (102).

29. 29. A method for preparing radioactive material for use in a radiopharmaceutical according to claim 27 or 28, wherein collecting the scraped radioactive material in the container (5) comprises: placing said container (5) under said radioactive target (101); and positioning the radioactive target (101) such that gravity acting on the scraped radioactive material causes the scraped radioactive material to fall into the container.

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