Irradiated material handling device and methods of manufacturing radioisotopes

Abstract

Cutting techniques to split a single workpiece into two portions are disclosed herein. A cutting machine may be configured to rotate the workpiece relative to a cutting wheel. The cutting wheel may be configured to precisely and controllably move towards the center of the work piece, which may result in the workpiece being cleanly cut. The rotation of the workpiece and the movement of the cutting wheel may be controlled by a controller. In some embodiments, a tray may be disposed below the workpiece such that the tray is configured to safely catch a portion of the workpiece that has been cut off. Further, if the workpiece has contents housed within, the tray may safely catch the contents.

Description

Attorney Docket No.: S2302.70010WO00IRRADIATED MATERIAL HANDLING DEVICE AND METHODS OF MANUFACTURING RADIOISOTOPESCROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 650,802, filed May 22, 2024, titled “WELDING MACHINE,” which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.FIELD

[0002] This application relates to cutting devices, and, especially, but not limited to, devices for cutting cylindrical metal capsules containing radioisotopes for irradiation in nuclear reactors for producing therapeutic radioisotopes.BACKGROUND

[0003] Cutting devices may be used to cut a cylindrically shaped portion of a workpiece. Cutting devices (e.g., pipe or tube cutters) generally comprise a cutting wheel configured to be pressed against and rotated around the workpiece (e.g., manually).SUMMARY

[0004] In some embodiments, the techniques described herein relate to a cutting device including: a headstock configured to rotatably support a workpiece; a cutting apparatus including a cutting wheel and at least one roller; and at least one controller, wherein the at least one controller is configured, when the workpiece is mounted to the cutting device in an operable configuration, to actuate the headstock to rotate the workpiece about a longitudinal axis of the workpiece at a desired rotation rate, and wherein a distance between the cutting wheel and the at least one roller is controlled by the at least one controller.

[0005] In some embodiments, the techniques described herein relate to a cutting device, wherein the at least one controller is configured to decrease the distance between the cutting wheel and the at least one roller while the headstock is rotating the workpiece.

[0006] In some embodiments, the techniques described herein relate to a cutting device, wherein a speed at which the at least one controller is configured to decrease the distance between the cutting wheel and the at least one roller determines the desired rotation rate of the workpiece.Attorney Docket No.: S2302.70010WO00

[0007] In some embodiments, the techniques described herein relate to a cutting device, wherein the cutting wheel is disposed on a screw, which when rotated, is configured to change a position of the cutting wheel.

[0008] In some embodiments, the techniques described herein relate to a cutting device, wherein the at least one controller is configured to operate automatically.

[0009] In some embodiments, the techniques described herein relate to a cutting device, wherein the at least one controller is configured to be remotely accessed.

[0010] In some embodiments, the techniques described herein relate to a cutting device, further including the workpiece, wherein at least a portion of the workpiece is disposed between the cutting wheel and the at least one roller, and wherein the workpiece is an elongated capsule.

[0011] In some embodiments, the techniques described herein relate to a cutting device, wherein the elongated capsule is hermetically sealed.

[0012] In some embodiments, the techniques described herein relate to a cutting device, further including a receptacle disposed below the headstock.

[0013] In some embodiments, the techniques described herein relate to a cutting device, wherein the receptacle is shock absorbent.

[0014] In some embodiments, the techniques described herein relate to a cutting device, wherein workpiece is at least partially formed of titanium or zirconium.

[0015] In some embodiments, the techniques described herein relate to a cutting device, wherein the headstock and the cutting apparatus are disposed on a base.

[0016] In some embodiments, the techniques described herein relate to a cutting device, wherein the elongated capsule has a diameter and a wall thickness, wherein a distance the cutting wheel moves before cutting is determined by the at least one controller based on the diameter, and wherein a distance the cutting wheel moves while cutting is determined by the at least one controller based on the wall thickness.

[0017] In some embodiments, the techniques described herein relate to a cutting device, wherein the headstock supports the workpiece by contacting an upper portion of the workpiece.

[0018] In some embodiments, the techniques described herein relate to a method for cutting through a wall of an elongated capsule including: rotating the elongated capsule about a longitudinal axis of the elongated capsule; while rotating the elongated capsule about the longitudinal axis, moving a cutting wheel towards the longitudinal axis of the elongated capsule to cut through the wall of the elongated capsule; and exposing contents of the elongated capsule.Attorney Docket No.: S2302.70010WO00

[0019] In some embodiments, the techniques described herein relate to a method, wherein moving the cutting wheel towards the longitudinal axis of the elongated capsule includes moving the cutting wheel through the wall of the elongated capsule to cause the elongated capsule to become separated into at least two pieces.

[0020] In some embodiments, the techniques described herein relate to a method, wherein exposing the contents of the elongated capsule includes dropping a bottom portion of the elongated capsule containing the contents of the elongated capsule into a tray when the bottom portion of the elongated capsule is separated from a top portion of the elongated capsule.

[0021] In some embodiments, the techniques described herein relate to a method, wherein moving the cutting wheel towards the longitudinal axis of the elongated capsule includes rotating a screw coupled to a cutting wheel mount supporting the cutting wheel.

[0022] In some embodiments, the techniques described herein relate to a method, further including, while rotating the elongated capsule about the longitudinal axis, clamping the elongated capsule between at least one roller and the cutting wheel.

[0023] In some embodiments, the techniques described herein relate to a method, wherein moving a cutting wheel towards the longitudinal axis of the elongated capsule includes moving the cutting wheel at a fixed speed over a defined period of time.

[0024] In some embodiments, the techniques described herein relate to a method, wherein rotating the elongated capsule about a longitudinal axis of the elongated capsule includes rotating the elongated capsule at a desired rotation rate determined based on the fixed speed of the cutting wheel's movement toward the longitudinal axis of the elongated capsule.

[0025] In some embodiments, the techniques described herein relate to a cutting device including: a headstock configured to rotatably support a workpiece containing at least one radioisotope; a cutting apparatus including a cutting wheel and at least one roller; and at least one controller configured to, responsive to receiving instructions transmitted to the controller from a remote location and when the workpiece is mounted to the cutting device in an operable configuration, to actuate the headstock to rotate the workpiece about a longitudinal axis of the workpiece at a desired rotation rate, and wherein a distance between the cutting wheel and the at least one roller is controlled by the at least one controller.

[0026] In some embodiments, the techniques described herein relate to a method of manufacturing a daughter isotope, the method including: sealing a capsule using a welding machine, the capsule containing a target material including a parent isotope; irradiating theAttorney Docket No.: S2302.70010WO00capsule with a neutron flux for an irradiation period; after the irradiation period, opening the capsule using a cutting device to remove the irradiated target material; and separating a sample of the daughter isotope from the irradiated target material.

[0027] In some embodiments, the techniques described herein relate to a method, wherein sealing the capsule using the welding machine includes: rotating the capsule about a longitudinal axis of the capsule; and welding a joint between a first element and a second element of the capsule by applying energy to the joint to cause heating to a temperature sufficient for welding between the first element and the second element at a stationary point relative to the longitudinal axis as the capsule rotates, the energy being applied using a continuous laser of a laser welder.

[0028] In some embodiments, the techniques described herein relate to a method, wherein sealing the capsule includes hermetically sealing the capsule.

[0029] In some embodiments, the techniques described herein relate to a method, wherein the energy is applied to the capsule to result in a temperature sufficient to completely weld the joint within a time period between 5 and 20 seconds.

[0030] In some embodiments, the techniques described herein relate to a method, wherein rotating the capsule about a longitudinal axis of the capsule includes rotating the capsule at a rotational speed between 10 RPM and 100 RPM.

[0031] In some embodiments, the techniques described herein relate to a method, wherein the capsule is formed of titanium or zirconium.

[0032] In some embodiments, the techniques described herein relate to a method, wherein the target material includes radium-226.

[0033] In some embodiments, the techniques described herein relate to a method, wherein separating the sample of the daughter isotope from the irradiated target material includes separating a sample of actinium-225 from the irradiated target material.

[0034] In some embodiments, the techniques described herein relate to a method, wherein opening the capsule using the cutting device includes: rotating the capsule about a longitudinal axis of the capsule; and while rotating the capsule about the longitudinal axis, moving a cutting wheel towards the longitudinal axis of the capsule to cut through a wall of the capsule.

[0035] In some embodiments, the techniques described herein relate to a method, wherein moving the cutting wheel towards the longitudinal axis of the capsule includes movingAttorney Docket No.: S2302.70010WO00the cutting wheel through the wall of the capsule to cause the capsule to become separated into at least two pieces.

[0036] In some embodiments, the techniques described herein relate to a method, wherein moving the cutting wheel towards the longitudinal axis of the capsule includes rotating a screw coupled to a cutting wheel mount supporting the cutting wheel.

[0037] In some embodiments, the techniques described herein relate to a method, wherein opening the capsule using the cutting device further includes, while rotating the capsule about the longitudinal axis, clamping the capsule between at least one roller and the cutting wheel.

[0038] In some embodiments, the techniques described herein relate to a method, wherein moving a cutting wheel towards the longitudinal axis of the capsule includes moving the cutting wheel at a fixed speed over a defined period of time.

[0039] In some embodiments, the techniques described herein relate to a method, wherein rotating the capsule about a longitudinal axis of the capsule includes rotating the capsule at a desired rotation rate determined based on the fixed speed of the cutting wheel's movement toward the longitudinal axis of the capsule.

[0040] In some embodiments, the techniques described herein relate to a method, wherein opening the capsule using the cutting device to remove the irradiated target material includes dropping a bottom portion of the capsule and contents of the capsule into a tray when a bottom portion of the capsule is separated from a top portion of the capsule.

[0041] The foregoing apparatus and method embodiments may be implemented with any suitable combination of aspects, features, and acts described above or in further detail below. These and other aspects, embodiments, and features of the present teachings can be more fully understood from the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0042] Various aspects and embodiments will be described with reference to the following figures. It should be appreciated that the figures are not necessarily drawn to scale. In the drawings, each identical or nearly identical component that is illustrated in various figures is represented by a like numeral. For purposes of clarity, not every component may be labeled in every drawing.

[0043] FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of a welding machine, according to some embodiments of the technology described herein;Attorney Docket No.: S2302.70010WO00

[0044] FIG. 2 depicts a perspective view of a welding machine, according to some embodiments of the technology described herein;

[0045] FIG. 3 depicts a top view of a welding machine, according to some embodiments of the technology described herein;

[0046] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a control box of a welding machine, according to some embodiments of the technology described herein;

[0047] FIG. 5A is a side view of a disassembled workpiece on which a welding machine may perform welding operations, according to some embodiments of the technology described herein;

[0048] FIG. 5B is a side view of an assembled workpiece on which a welding machine may perform welding operations, according to some embodiments of the technology described herein;

[0049] FIG. 6A is a schematic view of a chain of workpieces on which a welding machine may perform welding operations, according to some embodiments of the technology described herein;

[0050] FIG. 6B is a cross-sectional view of a first workpiece of the chain of workpieces of FIG. 6A according to some embodiments of the technology described herein;

[0051] FIG. 6C is a cross-sectional view of a second workpiece of the chain of workpieces of FIG. 6A according to some embodiments of the technology described herein;

[0052] FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a process of welding elements of a workpiece together using a welding machine, according to some embodiments of the technology described herein;

[0053] FIG. 8 is a schematic representation of a cutting device, according to some embodiments of the technology described herein;

[0054] FIGs. 9A-9B depict a cutting apparatus of a cutting device in a closed and an open position, respectively, according to some embodiments of the technology described herein;

[0055] FIG. 10 depicts a structure for adjusting the position of the cutting apparatus, according to some embodiments of the technology described herein;

[0056] FIG. 11 is a side view of an illustrative cutting device, according to some embodiments of the technology described herein;

[0057] FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the illustrative cutting device, according to some embodiments of the technology described herein;Attorney Docket No.: S2302.70010WO00

[0058] FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating a process of operating the cutting device, according to some embodiments of the technology described herein;

[0059] FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating a process of manufacturing radioisotopes, according to some embodiments of the technology described herein; and

[0060] FIG. 15 is a schematic representation of a controller for controlling operation of a welding machine, according to some embodiments.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0061] Pipe cutters are traditionally used to cut through hollow piping with no contents housed within. Under these circumstances, the cutting wheel of the pipe cutter does not need to be precisely controlled and may be urged towards the pipe via any biased elastic component or an insensitive motor. With a biased elastic component or an insensitive motor, the cutting wheel proceeds through the wall of the piping and into the empty space within. If the piping had fragile and / or hazardous (e.g., radioactive, chemically reactive, etc.) contents housed within, the cutting wheel may damage the contents.

[0062] Additionally, in some instances, if the piping has a thin wall made of a hard material, the imprecise force applied by the cutting wheel may be insufficient to cut through the hard material. Further, if the force applied by the cutting wheel is too large, and the cutting wheel is not rotating around the tubing at an appropriate speed, the tube may kink. This would damage the contents of the tube and make cutting the tube more difficult as it no longer has a cylindrical shape.

[0063] The inventors have recognized that, in some embodiments, controlling the depth, pressure, and relative rotational speed of the cutting wheel may be beneficial in situations where the workpiece is a hard material which houses fragile, valuable, and / or hazardous contents. The inventors have recognized that precisely controlling the depth, pressure, and relative rotational speed of the cutting wheel can both improve the consistency of cutting through the workpieces and the safety and / or integrity of the contents housed within the workpiece during the cutting process.

[0064] The inventors have created a cutting device configured to control the depth, pressure, and relative rotational speed of the cutting wheel during operation of the device. Further, the device may be arranged to capture the internal contents of the workpiece after the workpiece has been cut and the internal contents are released. The device may be configured to capture the contents without damaging the contents.Attorney Docket No.: S2302.70010WO00

[0065] Following below are more detailed descriptions of various design concepts related to, and embodiments of, machines employing the newly developed technology disclosed herein. It should be appreciated that various configurations, designs, features, and components described herein may be implemented in any of numerous ways. Examples of specific implementations are provided herein for illustrative purposes only. In addition, the various configurations, designs, features, and components described in the embodiments below may be used alone or in any combination and are not limited to the combinations explicitly described herein.I. Cutting Device

[0066] FIG. 8 is a schematic representation of a cutting device 800, according to some embodiments of the technology described herein. An illustrative implementation of cutting device 800 is shown in the side and perspective views of FIGs. 11 and 12. The cutting device 800 includes, in some embodiments, a workpiece rotator 802, a workpiece clamp 804, a cutting apparatus 806, a receptacle 810, and one or more controllers 812. The workpiece clamp 804 may be configured to grip or otherwise support the workpiece 808, which may be any suitable workpiece or headstock having a circular cross section, including but not limited to the workpieces 500, 600A, 600B, and / or 600C described in connection with the examples of FIGs.5A-6C herein. In some embodiments, the workpiece 808 may contain one or more hazardous materials, including but not limited to radioactive materials and / or chemically reactive materials.

[0067] In some embodiments, the workpiece 808 may be constructed of any material which is sufficiently strong to safely hold the desired contents. For example, if the workpiece 808 houses contents which promote rust or deterioration of reactive metals, which may cause internal off-gassing within the sealed workpiece 808, it may be valuable for the workpiece 808 to be constructed of stainless steel, or any other largely inert metal. Additionally, if the internal volume is pressurized or heated, it may be beneficial for the workpiece to be constructed from a metal with a high melting point and a high strength. In some embodiments, the workpiece 808 disclosed herein may be titanium (e.g., grade 2 or grade 5 titanium), zirconium, or zirconium alloys (e.g., Zircaloy-4). In some embodiments, the workpiece 808 may be formed of a material suitable for undergoing irradiation by a nuclear flux (e.g., the material may be relatively transparent to neutrons).

[0068] When operating the cutting device 800, in some embodiments, an operator may position a workpiece 808 in the workpiece clamp 804, and the clamp may be configured toAttorney Docket No.: S2302.70010WO00enable it to be tightened to or surrounding a top portion of the workpiece. The workpiece clamp 804 may be tightened in a process which is actuated by the controllers 812 or may be tightened manually. The workpiece clamp 804 may be any suitable clamp which is configured to grip an object with a cylindrical shape (e.g., having a circular or rounded cross section). As one example, the workpiece clamp 804 may grip the workpiece 808 using prongs. Further, in some embodiments, the workpiece clamp 804 may be configured to grip an upper or uppermost portion of the workpiece 808 such that the cutting apparatus 806 is provided with access to a lower portion of the workpiece 808 hanging freely from the workpiece clamp 804.

[0069] In some embodiments, the workpiece rotator 802 is configured to transfer rotational force to the workpiece 808 via the workpiece clamp 804, thereby causing the workpiece 808 to rotate about its longitudinal axis, L, during the cutting process. FIGs. 9A-9B depict a top view of a schematic illustration of the cutting apparatus 806 in a closed and an open position, respectively, in some embodiments. Cutting apparatus 806 includes a stationary roller mount 824 in which one or more rollers 822 are disposed. The rollers 822 may be positionally fixed to the roller mount 824 but able to rotate freely about their own center axes of rotation. Accordingly, the rollers 822 may be connected to the roller mount 824 in any suitable manner which allows for rotational movement but prevents positional change. In some embodiments, this may be achieved with a pin disposed in a position coextensive with the center axes of rotation of the rollers 822, such that the rollers rotate about the pins. The rollers 822 may be configured to contact the workpiece 808 and provide a retaining force such that the cutting wheel 818 and the rollers effectively clamp the workpiece during the cutting process. In embodiments where the workpiece is titanium (e.g., grade 2 or grade 5 titanium), zirconium, or a zirconium alloy (e.g., Zircaloy-4), the cutting wheel 818 may be a material (e.g., hardened tool steel) that is sufficiently hard to cut through the workpiece material.

[0070] In some embodiments, during the cutting process, the cutting wheel mount 820 may be moved from an open position, as shown in the example of FIG. 9B, to a closed position, as shown in the example of FIG. 9A, to bring the cutting wheel 818 into contact with a surface of the workpiece 808 and to clamp the workpiece 808 between the cutting wheel 818 and the rollers 822. The workpiece 808 may then be rotated by the workpiece rotator 802 and the workpiece clamp 804, thereby causing the cutting wheel 818 to apply a cutting force around the circumference of the workpiece 808. The cutting wheel 818 may be mounted within the cutting wheel mount 820 such that the cutting wheel 818 is configured to rotate about its center axis of rotation so that its circumferential cutting edge rolls along the outer surface of theAttorney Docket No.: S2302.70010WO00workpiece 808 during the cutting process. As the cutting process progresses, the cutting wheel mount 820 may be configured to move laterally (e.g., towards the roller mount 824) to increase the cutting depth of the cut made by the cutting wheel 818 through the surface and / or a wall of the workpiece 808, thereby eventually separating and / or cutting the workpiece 808 into at least two pieces.

[0071] In some embodiments, the cutting wheel mount 820 may be moved in a lateral direction (e.g., towards the roller mount 824) during the cutting process in order to cause the cutting wheel 818 to apply additional cutting force to the workpiece 808 (e.g., as the cutting wheel 818 cuts through the depth of the wall of the workpiece 808). The cutting wheel mount 820 may be laterally moved along a cutting wheel track 816, in some embodiments. In some embodiments, the cutting wheel 818 may be moved towards the workpiece 808 while the workpiece 808 is stationary. Alternatively or additionally, the cutting wheel 818 may be moved towards the workpiece 808 while the workpiece 808 is rotating.

[0072] In some embodiments, the cutting wheel mount 820 may be moved laterally towards and away from workpiece 808 using a motor-driven drive mechanism, which in certain embodiments has a least a portion thereof housed in the cutting wheel track 816. In some embodiments, and as shown in the example of FIG. 10, the cutting wheel mount 820 may be moved laterally by manual and / or motor-driven rotation of a screw 838. Screw 838 may be engaged with the cutting wheel mount 820 such that, when the screw 838 is rotated, the cutting wheel mount 820 is caused to move in a lateral direction. In some embodiments, the cutting wheel mount 820 may be laterally moved using a gear, belt, or other suitable mechanical system for positioning the cutting wheel mount 820 with sufficient force to cause the cutting wheel 818 to cut through the surface of the workpiece 808.

[0073] In certain embodiments, at least portions of the motor for rotating the workpiece may be housed externally to workpiece rotator 802, as illustrated by motor 814 of the examples of FIGs. 11-12). For example, as shown in FIG. 11, the motor 814 may be configured to drive a belt 828 which drives the workpiece rotator 802. As another example, the motor 814 may be functionally connected to the workpiece rotator 802 by a gear system, or any other suitable system to cause the rotation of workpiece rotator 802.

[0074] In some embodiments, the workpiece rotator 802 and / or the cutting apparatus 806 may have motors and / or drive mechanisms electrically coupled to one or more controllers 812, which may be a suitable computing device or circuitry (e.g., as described in connection with FIG. 14 herein). The controllers 812 may be configured to send control signals to the workpieceAttorney Docket No.: S2302.70010WO00rotator 802 and / or the cutting apparatus 806 (and / or to the motor(s) associated with the workpiece rotator 802 and / or the cutting apparatus 806 ) to cause changes to, for example, the rotational speed of the workpiece rotator 802 and the supported workpiece 808 and / or the lateral positioning of the cutting wheel mount 820 and the cutting wheel 818. In this manner, the cutting speed of the cutting wheel 818 and the cutting force applied to the workpiece 808 may be controlled by controllers 812. These parameters may be particularly important to control in instances where the workpiece 808 contains hazardous, valuable, and / or fragile contents that are to be extracted from the workpiece 808 without causing breakage of or otherwise compromising the integrity of the contents of workpiece 808.

[0075] In some embodiments, the controllers 812 may be operated manually, remotely, autonomously, or automatically. In some embodiments, the controllers 812 may be coupled to circuitry (e.g., by a wired or wireless connection) which may permit remote operation of the cutting device 800 by a user. Such automatic and / or remote operation allows for a user to be physically distanced and / or shielded from the cutting device 800 during its operation, thereby protecting the user in cases where the contents of the workpiece 808 may be hazardous to human health (e.g., radioactive, biologically reactive, chemically reactive, etc.).

[0076] In some embodiments, at the start of the process, the controllers 812 may be configured to cause the cutting wheel 818 to move laterally to a first position in which the cutting wheel 818 gently contacts the surface of the workpiece 808. The controllers 812 may be configured to set the positioning of the cutting wheel 818 based on a known diameter or radius of the workpiece 808. In some embodiments, the controllers 812 may be configured to determine the radius or diameter of the workpiece 808 based on signals received from a sensor in the workpiece clamp 804 (e.g., an optical or mechanical sensor configured to measure the distance between clamp prongs) and / or based on signals received from a sensor positioned at the cutting wheel 818 and configured to alert the controllers 812 when the cutting wheel 818 has first made contact with the surface of the workpiece 808.

[0077] In some embodiments, the controller 812 may set the rotation speed of the workpiece rotator 802, and thereby of the workpiece 808, based on a speed at which the cutting wheel 818 moves towards and through the wall of the workpiece 808. As discussed above, the relationship between the lateral speed of the cutting wheel 818 and the rotation speed of the workpiece 808 may be selected to protect the workpiece from bending, collapsing, or otherwise being damaged during the cutting process. In some embodiments, the cutting wheel 818 may be configured to be laterally moved through the wall of the workpiece 808 at a set speed in aAttorney Docket No.: S2302.70010WO00range from 0.5 mm / s to 10 mm / s, in a range from 0.5 mm / s to 5 mm / s, in a range from 0.5 mm / s to 4 mm / s, in a range from 0.5 mm / s to 3 mm / s, in a range from 0.5 mm / s to 2.5 mm / s, in a range from 1 mm / s to 2 mm / s, or preferably at a set speed of 1.5 mm / s (e.g., when the workpiece 808 has an outer diameter of 0.188 inches). Accordingly, in such cases, in order to cleanly cut the workpiece 808, the workpiece 808 may be rotated at an angular velocity which produces a circumferential linear velocity in a range from 5 mm / s to 75 mm / s (e.g., in a range from 20 to 300 RPM for an outer diameter of the workpiece 808 of 0.188 inches), or preferably at an angular velocity of at least 30 mm / s as measured at an outer wall of the workpiece 808. Circumferential linear velocity, also known as tangential velocity, is the linear speed of an object moving along a circular path. It is the speed of the object at any point on its circular trajectory, measured tangentially to the circle. In some embodiments, the desired rotation rate may be calculated by the controllers 812 based on the lateral speed of the cutting wheel 818 moving through the workpiece 808, and the diameter of the workpiece 808. It should be appreciated that in embodiments where the workpiece 808 is relatively large in diameter, a smaller angular velocity may be used to achieve the same circumferential linear velocity at the wall of the workpiece. Similarly, in some embodiments where the workpiece 808 is smaller in diameter, a larger angular velocity may be needed to achieve the same circumferential linear velocity at the wall of the workpiece.

[0078] In some embodiments, the cutting wheel 818 may need to complete a plurality of rotations relative to the workpiece 808 in order to sufficiently cut through the workpiece 808. In some embodiments, sufficiently cutting through the workpiece 808 may comprise completely cutting the workpiece 808 into two portions. In some embodiments, sufficiently cutting through the workpiece 808 may comprise cutting through a large enough percentage of the surface of the workpiece 808 to permit splitting the two portions apart or otherwise creating access to the internal contents to facilitate the release of the internal contents of the workpiece 808. This percentage may vary depending on the size and weight of the workpiece walls and / or one or more of the phase, viscosity, density, etc. of the contents.

[0079] In some embodiments, when the cutting wheel 818 cuts the workpiece 808 into at least two pieces, the bottom piece, which is not retained by the workpiece clamp 804, may drop into a receptacle 810 (e.g., a tray or other container). As shown in FIGs. 8, 11, and 12, the receptacle 810 may be disposed below the workpiece clamp 804 and the cutting apparatus 806 in order to catch the detached bottom piece of the workpiece 808 and / or the internal contents within the workpiece 808. In some embodiments, the receptacle 810 may be constructed of orAttorney Docket No.: S2302.70010WO00coated with a shock absorbent material (e.g., rubber, silicone, or another elastic material). In some embodiments, the receptacle 810 may have a shock absorbent pad on an upper surface of the receptacle 810. The receptacle 810 may be positioned sufficiently close to the cutting apparatus such that the bottom portion of the workpiece and the contents of the workpiece 808 do not fall a large distance, thereby preventing damage and / or spread of the contents (e.g., by bouncing out of the receptacle 810).

[0080] FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating a process 1300 of operating a cutting device (e.g., cutting device 800) to cut through a wall of an elongated capsule (e.g., workpiece 808), according to some embodiments of the technology described herein. In some embodiments, portions of process 1300 may be automatically or semi-automatically executed and / or controlled by a computing device (e.g., a suitable electronic controller), which may be configured to transmit (e.g., through a wired or wireless connections) control signals to electrically activated components and / or sensor(s) or other measuring devices or data generating or collecting components of the cutting device.

[0081] In act 1302, an elongated capsule is rotated about its longitudinal axis. As one example, a workpiece clamp of the cutting device may grip the capsule, and a workpiece rotator may transfer rotational force to the capsule via the workpiece clamp. In some embodiments, the capsule may be rotated at an angular velocity which at least produces a circumferential linear velocity in a range from 5 mm / s to 75 mm / s (e.g., in a range from 20 to 300 RPM for an outer diameter of the workpiece 808 of 0.188 inches), or preferably at an angular velocity of at least 30 mm / s as measured at an outer wall of the workpiece 808.

[0082] In act 1304, while the elongated capsule is rotated about the longitudinal axis, a cutting wheel (e.g., cutting wheel 818) is moved laterally towards the longitudinal axis of rotation of the elongated capsule to cut through the wall of the elongated capsule. In some embodiments, the cutting wheel 818 may be configured to laterally move through the wall of the workpiece 808 at set speed in a range from 0.5 mm / s to 10 mm / s, in a range from 0.5 mm / s to 5 mm / s, in a range from 0.5 mm / s to 4 mm / s, in a range from 0.5 mm / s to 3 mm / s, in a range from 0.5 mm / s to 2.5 mm / s, in a range from 1 mm / s to 2 mm / s, or preferably at a set speed of 1.5 mm / s (e.g., when the workpiece 808 has an outer diameter of 0.188 inches) .

[0083] In some embodiments, the cutting wheel may be moved by laterally moving a cutting wheel mount which supports and permits rotational motion of the cutting wheel driven by contact with the rotating outer circumferential surface of the capsule. The cutting wheel mount may be moved, for example, using a motor and / or belt, gear, screw, or other suitableAttorney Docket No.: S2302.70010WO00drive systems for creating controlled linear displacement of the cutting wheel mount and cutting wheel. In some embodiments, and as shown in the example of FIG. 10, the cutting wheel mount may be moved laterally using a lead screw drive as illustrated, which may engage with the cutting wheel mount such that, when the screw is rotated, the cutting wheel mount is caused to move in the lateral direction.

[0084] In act 1306, the contents of the elongated capsule are exposed, for example so that the contents can be accessed or removed from the elongated capsule. Optionally, in act 1308, the contents of the elongated capsule and / or at ;east one of the cut portions (e.g. the bottom portion) of the elongated capsule may be caught by a tray positioned under the cutting device. In some embodiments, once the cutting wheel cuts through the majority or entirety of the circumferential wall of the capsule, the bottom piece of the capsule which is not retained by the workpiece clamp drops into the above-described optional tray positioned below the cutting device.II. Welding Machine

[0085] Welding generally involves the application of energy to elements of a workpiece to join the elements together. Typically, energy is applied to and / or around a region where the elements meet to create some kind of fusion between the elements. The fusion of the elements in welding comprises melting portions of the elements, although the welding process may also comprise delivering a filler material to the joint in molten form or that is subsequently melted and solidified in the joint to create a permanent bond. As one common example of a welding process, an arc welding process uses a power supply to maintain an electric arc between an electrode and the workpiece to melt the elements. Some specific examples of arc welding include: Gas Metal Arc Welding (MIG), Shielded Metal Arc Welding (Stick), Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (TIG), and Flux-Cored Arc Welding (FCAW).

[0086] Welding frequently involves high temperatures, since welding is typically performed to join elements formed from materials that melt only at high temperatures, such as glass, metals or metal alloys. For instance, the temperature of an electric arc in an arc welding process may be thousands of degrees. Such temperatures are typically acceptable for metal parts, which can tolerate proximity to high temperatures without deforming, melting, or otherwise being damaged. In some cases, however, it may be desirable to weld together elements without significantly heating the surrounding workpiece areas during a welding operation. In particular, a workpiece that contains or is otherwise proximate to volatile materials, such as explosive materials, cannot be easily welded using conventional techniques,Attorney Docket No.: S2302.70010WO00which may heat the volatile materials to the point where damage to the materials or even a catastrophic result (e.g., explosion) occurs. For example, a process of producing radioisotopes in a nuclear reactor may involve hermetically sealing a heat-sensitive material inside of a metal capsule and placing that capsule in the reactor. However, if the heat-sensitive material inside of the capsule is exposed to too much heat when elements of the capsule are welded together to seal the capsule, the heat-sensitive material may be damaged or explode, which in the case of the contents being or including radioisotopes, can result in an extreme hazard.

[0087] Additionally, in some cases, it may be desirable to achieve a smooth welded joint (e.g., one that appears seamless, or close to seamless). For instance, in the above illustrative use case of a metal capsule containing a radioisotope(s) to be inserted into a nuclear reactor, it may be desirable that the exterior of the capsule is smooth so that it can slide smoothly into the reactor through a sensor tube or other access tube. While this may in theory be achieved through post-processing (e.g., grinding / finishing), since the material inside of the capsule may be highly radioactive, minimal handling of the capsule may be desirable.

[0088] However, with conventional arc welders, it may be difficult or impossible to reliably and smoothly hermetically seal elements of such a workpiece together while generating minimal heat. For instance, conventional arc welders such as orbital arc welders are configured to slowly rotate an arc welder around a workpiece. Such conventional orbital arc welders generate excessive, concentrated heat at a point on the workpiece throughout the welding operation, and do not produce a smooth weld. Alternatively, friction welding requires rotating elements of a workpiece relative to each other while pressing them together, using the heat generated from friction to fuse the elements together. However, friction welding also generates excessive heat and does not typically result in a smooth weld.

[0089] The inventors have developed welding techniques described herein that can produce a smooth weld between elements without exposing volatile portions of the workpiece to high temperatures. In particular, according to certain embodiments, a welding machine may be configured to rotate a workpiece relative to a stationary welder so that a weld of desirable uniformity and smoothness can be produced around the joint. In some cases, the workpiece may be rapidly rotated prior to, or at the same time as, the welder being activated to create a weldment. This approach may be contrasted with orbital welders which make a limited number of orbits and have a slow orbit speed. Moreover, because traditional orbital welders must orbit the workpiece, tubing and electrical wires must orbit with the welder, and as a result the number of orbits is limited by the amount of slack in the tubing and wires.Attorney Docket No.: S2302.70010WO00

[0090] Rotating a workpiece quickly relative to a stationary welder, according to certain embodiments, may allow for the building up of a weld along the entire joint between elements of the workpiece rapidly in a layer-by-layer manner, rather than slowly moving a welding bead around the joint building the weld in a sequential linear pattern, as is done with typical conventional orbital welders. This rapid, in some cases nearly simultaneous, buildup of the weld along an entirety of the joint may allow the welding operation to be performed faster than with conventional orbital welding, resulting in less heat buildup during the welding operation. Additionally, the weld may penetrate the entirety or a significant portion (e.g., greater than 25%, greater than 50%, greater than 75%) of the joint such that the weld provides structural as well as hermetic properties. Welding in this manner may also avoid concentrating heat at a single point during the welding operation for an extended period of time, and thereby reduce the heat applied and / or conducted to other parts of the workpiece. This approach may also result in a smoother weld that requires minimal post-processing.

[0091] According to some embodiments, a welding machine may comprise a headstock that supports a workpiece and that may be operated to rotate the workpiece about an axis, e.g., a longitudinal axis of an elongated workpiece. The welding machine may also comprise a welder that is stationary with respect to the axis of rotation so that the welder may be operated to weld a joint between elements of the workpiece as the workpiece rotates. As described above, the rotation may be rapid enough such that the welder does not unduly heat any collateral portions of the workpiece and / or any contents contained within the workpiece above a threshold temperature. While a variety of types of welders may potentially be suitable, such as MIG welders, arc welders, TIG welders, and electron beam welders, a laser welder is particularly well suited and employed in preferred embodiments.

[0092] According to some embodiments, the welding machine may include one or more nozzles arranged to deliver shielding gas to the workpiece during a welding operation. A shielding gas may protect the weld from atmospheric contaminants such as oxygen and water vapor, thereby limiting oxidation. Additionally, or alternatively, a shielding gas may cool the workpiece during a welding operation to prevent overheating. In some cases, the welding machine may comprise multiple gas nozzles configured to deliver a shielding gas to the workpiece from different directions, in order to ensure proper gas-shielding of the workpiece as it rotates. In other cases, the welding machine may comprise multiple gas nozzles configured to deliver multiple different shielding gases to the workpiece. In some embodiments, a first nozzle is disposed on a first side of the workpiece adjacent to a welding head of the welder,Attorney Docket No.: S2302.70010WO00and a second nozzle is disposed on a second side of the workpiece opposite to the welding head. The second gas nozzle may deliver shielding gas to the workpiece under different conditions from the first gas nozzle, (e.g., a higher flow rate, higher pressure, lower temperature, and / or different composition, etc.), in order to better shield and / or cool the side of the workpiece opposite the welding head.

[0093] As mentioned above, the inventors have determined that laser welders may be particularly advantageous as compared to other more conventional welders. For instance, a laser welder may input less heat into the workpiece when performing a welding operation. The inventors have also determined that due to the lower heat generation of a laser welder, a welding operation involving rotating the workpiece which is performed with a laser welder may be performed at a slower rotation speed than with a non-laser-based welder since, with a laser welder, less heat is typically concentrated at a single point on the workpiece during operation according to the technology described herein.

[0094] While both pulsed lasers and continuous lasers are potentially suitable, it may be in certain embodiments desirable to use a continuous laser to weld the joint(s) of the workpiece, as a continuous laser may allow for a greater depth of penetration, increasing the overall thickness and / or strength of the weld, which can be advantageous to ensure that the weld is capable of withstanding pressure buildup inside the workpiece (e.g., greater than 2 atm of pressure, in some embodiments). However, it should be appreciated that both pulsed lasers and continuous lasers may both be suitable for use in the welding machines described herein, and a pulsed laser operated at sufficient pulse rates (e.g., having a duty cycle in a range from 0.5 to 1.0, in a range from 0.6 to 1.0, in a range from 0.7 to 1.0, in a range from 0.75 to 1.0, in a range from 0.8 to 1.0) may be functionally equivalent to a continuous laser for the purposes described herein.

[0095] According to some embodiments, the workpiece may comprise titanium such that the weld produced is between titanium (e.g., grade 2 or grade 5 titanium), or titanium-containing, surfaces. In some embodiments, the weld is an autogenous weld, such that no filler material is required to fill the joint between welded elements of the workpiece. In some embodiments, a filler material suitable for use with titanium may be used to fill the joint between the elements of the workpiece. In other embodiments, the workpiece may be formed of any suitable material, and any suitable filler material for use with the material of the workpiece may be used. For example, the workpiece may comprise zirconium or zirconium alloys (e.g., Zircaloy-4), in some embodiments.Attorney Docket No.: S2302.70010WO00

[0096] According to some embodiments, rotation of the workpiece may be produced by one or more actuators. Such actuators may include one or more motors, such as one or more stepper motors and / or servos. In some embodiments, the actuator may be or include as a backup a hand crank or other mechanism which allows a human operator to manually rotate the workpiece. Rotation may also be produced by one or more actuators operating in conjunction with any other suitable combination of drive elements, such as gears, coupling mechanisms to attach an actuator to the headstock, a flywheel, etc.

[0097] According to some embodiments, a welding machine according to the technology described herein may comprise at least one safety feature that deactivates the welder and / or rotation actuator to avoid excessive heat buildup or other undesirable conditions. In some embodiments, the welding machine comprises a rotation sensor configured to measure rotation of the workpiece independent of rotation of the actuator. Such a configuration may be desirable in case a mechanical connection between the actuator and the workpiece fails. If the sensed rotation falls below a threshold, the welding machine may deactivate the welder to avoid heat from the welder being concentrated in a specific location. In some embodiments, the welding machine comprises a gas runout sensor configured to detect when the shielding gas is running out. The welding machine may deactivate the welder when the gas flow and / or pressure falls below a threshold amount in order to avoid excessive heat buildup and to ensure weld quality. In some embodiments, the welding machine comprises at least one emergency stop button configured to deactivate the welder and or actuator when pressed by an operator. Such a configuration may allow a human operator to deactivate the welding machine if they detect a dangerous condition (e.g., a person approaching the welding machine during a welding operation).

[0098] FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of a welding machine, according to some embodiments. In the example of FIG. 1, welding machine 100 comprises a headstock 102 configured to rotatably support a workpiece 200. The headstock 102 comprises a spindle 104 configured to rotate within the headstock 102 about longitudinal axis AL. In some embodiments, the headstock 102 may be a device capable of readily accepting standard machining collets. In some cases, the headstock 102 may be, or may comprise, a spin indexer (‘spindexer’) or spin jig.

[0099] In the example of FIG. 1, workpiece 200 is held in the spindle 104 by workpiece holder 106, such that, as the spindle 104 rotates about longitudinal axis AL, workpiece 200 also spins about longitudinal axis AL. The workpiece holder 106 may include any suitableAttorney Docket No.: S2302.70010WO00workpiece holder, such as a collet (e.g., a 5C collet) or a chuck. In some embodiments, the workpiece holder 106 may be selectively attachable to the spindle 104.

[0100] In the example of FIG. 1, the welding machine 100 comprises an actuator 108 configured to connect to the spindle 104 via connector 110 to drive the spindle 104 to rotate the spindle 104 and workpiece 200 about the longitudinal axis AL. The actuator 108 may include any suitable actuator that, when operated, rotates the spindle 104 about the longitudinal axis AL. In some embodiments, the actuator 108 is a motor, such as a stepper motor, a servo motor, an AC motor, a DC motor, or any other suitable type of motor. The actuator 108 may be positioned in any suitable position relative to the spindle 104 and connect to the spindle using any suitable connector 110. For instance, as seen in FIG. 1, the actuator 108 is approximately in-line with the spindle 104, and connector 110 may be a coupling, such as a sleeve coupling, a compressive coupling, a flexible coupling, a flange coupling, a bushed pin coupling, a universal coupling, an Oldham coupling, etc. In some embodiments, as seen in the examples of FIGs. 2 and 3 described below, actuator 108 may be disposed adjacent to the spindle 104, and the connector 110 may comprise a parallel connector or drive coupler, such as a gear drive, belt drive or chain drive.

[0101] In the example of FIG. 1, the headstock 102, the actuator 108, and the welder 112 are all mounted to the base 118. The actuator 108 may be configured to rotate the workpiece 200 about the longitudinal axis AL at any suitable rotation speed during a welding operation. For instance, in some embodiments, the actuator 108 may be configured to rotate the workpiece at a rotational speed that is equal to or greater than 10 revolutions per minute (RPM), 20 RPM, 30 RPM, 40 RPM, 50 RPM, 60 RPM, 70 RPM, 80 RPM, 90 RPM, or 100 RPM during a welding operation. In some embodiments, the actuator 108 may be configured to rotate the workpiece at a rotational speed that is less than or equal to 100 RPM, 90 RPM, 80 RPM, 70 RPM, 60 RPM, 50 RPM, 40 RPM, 30 RPM, 20 RPM, or 10 RPM during a welding operation. Any suitable combinations of these ranges are also possible (e.g., the actuator is configured to rotate the workpiece at a rotational speed that is greater than or equal to 10 RPM and less than or equal to 100 RPM, greater than or equal to 20 RPM and less than or equal to 90 RPM, greater than or equal to 30 RPM and less than or equal to 80 RPM, greater than or equal to 40 RPM and less than or equal to 70 RPM, or greater than or equal to 50 RPM and less than or equal to 60 RPM, greater than or equal to 10 RPM and less than or equal to 20 RPM, greater than or equal to 20 RPM and less than or equal to 30 RPM, greater than or equal to 30 RPM and less than or equal to 40 RPM, greater than or equal to 40 RPM and less than or equal to 50 RPM,Attorney Docket No.: S2302.70010WO00greater than or equal to 60 RPM and less than or equal to 70 RPM. greater than or equal to 70 RPM and less than or equal to 80 RPM, greater than or equal to 80 RPM and less than or equal to 90 RPM, or greater than or equal to 90 RPM and less than or equal to 100 RPM).

[0102] In the example of FIG. 1, the welding machine 100 comprises a welder 112 that includes a welding head 114 arranged to align with a joint 202 between first element 204 and second element 206 of workpiece 200. Any combination of moving the welding head and / or the workpiece may be performed so that the joint 202 and welding head 114 are aligned prior to and / during the welding process. The welder 112 is configured to remain stationary relative to the longitudinal axis AL and to deliver energy, e.g., a laser beam, to provide energy to the workpiece 200 along the joint 202 as the workpiece 200 is rotated in the spindle 104 by the actuator 108. In some embodiments, the first element 204 of the workpiece may be a tube or other cylindrically symmetrical object, and the second element may be a cap or other endpiece inserted into (or otherwise mechanically attached to) the first element.

[0103] In at least some cases, the welder 112 may deliver a welding current to the joint 202 during a welding operation. For instance, in some embodiments, the welder 112 may be configured to deliver between 5 and 10 amps of welding current to the workpiece 200 during a welding operation. Additionally, or alternatively, (e.g. when a laser welder is used) the welder 112 may be configured to direct a laser beam to provide energy to the workpiece 200 sufficient to weld the joint over any suitable period of time. For instance, in some embodiments, the welder 112 may be configured to direct energy, e.g., a laser beam, to heat to the workpiece at the point of impingement of the energy to a temperature sufficient to weld the joint in less than 20 seconds, less than 15 seconds, less than 10 seconds, or less than 5 seconds. Any suitable combinations of these ranges are also possible (e.g., the welder is configured to direct energy, e.g., a laser beam, to heat the workpiece at the point of impingement of the energy to a temperature sufficient to weld the joint for between 5 and 20 seconds). Operating the welder for such a period of time while rotating the workpiece may avoid excessive heat buildup compared with a longer welding operation and / or a welding operation where the workpiece and welder move more slowly relative to one another. In some embodiments, operating the welder for such a period of time while rotating the workpiece may ensure any material inside the workpiece does not exceed a threshold temperature. In some embodiments, the threshold temperature is approximately 500°C.

[0104] According to some embodiments e.g., involving arc welding, it may be necessary or desirable to electrically ground the workpiece 200 in order to complete a welding circuitAttorney Docket No.: S2302.70010WO00between the welder 112 and the workpiece 200 to allow a welding arc to travel from an electrode in the welding head 114 to the joint 202 and / or to ensure the safety of human operators. In the example of FIG. 1, the welding machine 100 comprises an optional grounding strap 116 (not required when the welder 112 is a laser welder as explained below) comprising a conductive material and configured to wrap around the spindle 104. The grounding strap 116 may then be connected to a base 118, or other suitable grounding structure. Such a configuration may allow for current to be conducted from the electrode in the welding head to the workpiece 200, through the workpiece holder 106 and spindle 104, through the grounding strap 116, and into the base 118 or other suitable grounding structure. In some embodiments, the grounding strap may be connected to the base 118 or other suitable grounding structure via a spring 120. Such a configuration may allow the grounding strap 116 to be held tightly against the spindle 104 as the spindle rotates.

[0105] According to some embodiments, it may be desirable to provide a more consistent and lower resistance grounding path for the welding current that may be achieved using grounding strap 116. In some embodiments, one or more carbon brushes may be substituted for grounding strap 116, such that the one or more carbon brushes contact the spindle 104 as the spindle rotates during a welding operation. The one or more carbon brushes may be connected to the base 118 or other suitable grounding structure using any suitable conductive structure.

[0106] Of course, it may not be necessary to use a grounding strap or other component to electrically ground the workpiece if the welder 112 used does not require such a configuration. For instance, when a laser welder is used, it may not be necessary to electrically ground the workpiece, so the grounding strap or other component may be omitted from the welding machine 100.

[0107] In the example of FIG. 1, as the welder 112 welds the joint 202, a first gas nozzle 122 may be disposed around or adjacent to the welding head 114. The first gas nozzle 122 may be configured to deliver a stream of shielding gas to the workpiece at a first location 210 on the joint 202, which is the location on the joint 202 where the weld is being formed at that point in the welding operation. A shielding gas may limit atmospheric contaminants such as oxygen and water vapor from interacting with the joint 202 during the weld, limiting oxidation and resulting in a better weld. A shielding gas may be any suitable shielding gas which is compatible with the material forming the workpiece, and in some cases may be, or may comprise, an inert gas such as argon gas.Attorney Docket No.: S2302.70010WO00

[0108] According to some embodiments, the welding machine 100 may comprise a second gas nozzle 124 configured to deliver a second stream of shielding gas to a second location 212 on the joint 202 different from the first location 210. Such a configuration may allow for additional protection from atmospheric contaminants and may also serve to cool the sections of joint 202 not currently being welded. In some embodiments, the second location 212 is opposite the first location 210. In some embodiments, the second gas nozzle 124 may deliver shielding gas to the second location 212 under different conditions than the first gas nozzle delivers shielding gas to first location in order to further improve the shielding and / or cooling effect. For instance, the shielding gas delivered by the second gas nozzle may be delivered at a higher flow rate, a higher pressure, a lower temperature, or any other parameter variation which improves cooling of the joint 202 at the second location 212.

[0109] According to some embodiments, it may be desirable to further increase gas coverage of a workpiece 200 during a welding operation. Such a configuration may allow for increased cooling of the sections of joint 202 not currently being welded and may further improve protection from atmospheric contaminants. In some embodiments, the welding machine 100 may comprise any suitable number of gas nozzles configured to deliver a corresponding number of streams of shielding gas to a corresponding number of locations. Each gas nozzle may be positioned in any suitable relationship relative to other gas nozzles, such as having all gas nozzles being evenly spaced around the workpiece or having different gas nozzles positioned with different relative spacing with respect to each other and / or the workpiece. For instance, in some embodiments, three gas nozzles disposed around the circumference of the workpiece may be used, each gas nozzle separated from an adjacent gas nozzle by approximately 120° relative to the axis of rotation AL. In some embodiments, the gas nozzles may be configured to deliver a stream of shielding gas in a direction perpendicular to workpiece 200 (e.g. directed towards the axis of rotation AL). In some embodiments, at least one gas nozzle may be configured to deliver a stream of shielding gas in a direction tangential to or along a secant of the workpiece 200. Each gas nozzle may be configured to deliver gas under any suitable conditions which improves cooling and / or shielding of the joint 202.

[0110] According to some embodiments, the welding machine 100 may be coupled to one or more controllers 1500 configured to operate and / or collect data from the various components of the welding machine described above. The one or more controllers may be implemented purely in hardware (e.g., as an ASIC or FPGA), or may execute software on one or more processors (e.g., a programmable microprocessor or general-purpose CPU).Attorney Docket No.: S2302.70010WO00

[0111] In some embodiments, the one or more controllers 1500 may be housed within a control box 126, which may also include other components to operate the components of the welding machine such as a motor driver, a welder “pedal”, etc. As shown in FIG. 1, the one or more controllers 1500 are coupled to, and may operate and / or deliver data to / receive data from, any one or more of the actuator 108, the receiver 132 and the welder 112, although the one or more controllers 1500 may also be coupled to, and may operate and / or deliver data to / receive data from, at least the gas nozzles 122 and 124, and the emitter 130 (described below).

[0112] According to some embodiments, the control box 126 may be electrically shielded in order to prevent interference with the electronic components from the welder (e.g., if an arc welder is used). In the case of a workpiece that contains radioactive components, the control box may also allow an operator of the welding machine to be located sufficiently remote from the welding machine to reduce or remove risk of radioactive exposure to the operator.

[0113] One illustrative example of a control box 126 is shown in FIG. 4, according to some embodiments. The illustrative control box 400 may be physically detached from the welding machine 100 such that the control box 400 is freely movable relative to the base 118. Such a configuration may allow for the welding machine to be controlled by a human operator from a remote location (e.g., in another room or another building, positioned behind shielding structures, etc.). Such a configuration may be desirable to ensure safety of the human operator, such as when volatile and / or radioactive materials are contained inside the workpiece.

[0114] As described above, the control box 400 may comprise one or more controllers to control operation of the welding machine 100. For instance, the one or more controllers may control any of the following: activation and deactivation of the welder, the welding power of the welder, activation and deactivation of the actuator(s), the actuator(s) rotation speed, welding current, laser power, welding time, shielding gas flow rate, and any combinations thereof.

[0115] In the example of FIG. 4, the control box 400 comprises controls 404 which may be configured to allow an operator to manually control aspects of operation of the welding machine 100 and may provide signals to one or more controllers within control box 400, which may adjust operation of the welding machine accordingly. In some embodiments, one or more controllers within the control box 400 may be configured to receive preprogramed instructions to perform a specific welding operation according to specific parameters (e.g., a welding operation at a specific welding current / laser power, rotation speed, amount of time, etc.). In some embodiments, parameters for a welding operation may be selected to allow the joint 202Attorney Docket No.: S2302.70010WO00of the workpiece 200 to be welded without heating material inside the workpiece 200 to greater than or equal to 500 °C.

[0116] As described above, ensuring that excessive heat is not introduced into the workpiece may be desirable in order to ensure the safety of operators. For instance, if the workpiece were to stop rotating, or if the shielding gas were to run out during a welding operation, the welder may excessively heat the workpiece, resulting in damage, content release, or even an explosive failure.

[0117] According to some embodiments, the welding machine comprises a rotation sensor configured to measure rotation of the spindle 104 independent of rotation of the actuator 108. If the rotation sensor senses the rotation of the spindle falling below a prerequisite rotation speed, the rotation sensor may send a signal to the controller 1500, and the controller may control the welding machine to cease operation of the welder 112 in order to limit any further heat buildup. Such a configuration may allow for detection of a broken or otherwise inoperable connector 110 between the actuator 108 and the spindle 104. The rotation sensor may be any suitable sensor which may measure rotation speed of the spindle 104. For instance, as seen in FIG. 1, the rotation sensor may be, or may include, an optical sensor (e.g., an “encoder”). The optical sensor may comprise an emitter 130 and a receiver 132. The emitter may shine a beam of light at a ring 134 disposed on the spindle 104. The ring 134 may comprise at least one hole. When the hole(s) are aligned with the emitter 130, light shines through the ring 134 and into the receiver 132, when the hole(s) are not aligned with the emitter 130, light is blocked from entering the receiver 132. The rotation speed of the spindle 104 may therefore be determined based on the frequency with which light reaches the receiver. However, any other suitable rotation sensor is contemplated such as a Reed switch, a hall effect sensor, a Weigand sensor, or any other suitable sensor.

[0118] In some embodiments, the ring 134 may comprise at least one detent or projection instead of the at least one hole, and the emitter 130 and receiver 132 may be replaced with a physical switch (not depicted). The physical switch may be configured to move between positions based on contact with the at least one detent and / or projection, and the rotation speed of spindle 104 may therefore be determined based on the frequency with which the switch moves between positions.

[0119] In the example of FIG. 1, the welding machine 100 is coupled to a gas supply 136, which supplies a shielding gas to the nozzles 122 and 124 as described above. According to some embodiments, the gas supply 136 for the shielding gas may comprise, or may be coupledAttorney Docket No.: S2302.70010WO00to, a runout sensor 138 to detect if the gas in the gas supply 136 is below a threshold volume, flow, and / or pressure. If the runout sensor 138 detects that the gas volume, flow, and / or pressure is below a threshold volume, the runout sensor 138 may send a signal to the one or more controllers 1500, and the controller may in response to receiving this signal cease operation of the welder 112. In some embodiments, the runout sensor 138 is a pressure sensor.

[0120] According to some embodiments, the welding machine 100 may comprise, or may be coupled to, at least one emergency stop button in order to allow an operator to cease operation of the welder and / or actuator if the operator detects a dangerous situation (e.g., a person approaching the machine during a welding operation). In the example of FIG. 1, the welding machine includes first emergency stop button 140 disposed on or adjacent to the base 118, and in addition the control box 126 comprises, and the one or more controllers 1500 are coupled to, a second emergency stop button 196. FIG. 4 depicts an example of the second emergency stop button, with the control box 400 including emergency stop button 406 disposed on the control box. Either or both or the first and second emergency stop buttons may be implemented in a welding robot, according to some embodiments. In some embodiments, the emergency stop buttons are configured to send a signal to the one or more controllers 1500, and the one or more controllers then, in response to receiving this signal, controls the welder 112 to cease operation of the welder. In some embodiments, the emergency stop buttons may be configured to interrupt a power supply circuit to the welding machine in order to cut power to the welder.

[0121] FIGs. 2 and 3 depict an alternative implementation of the welding machine 100 shown in FIG. 1, according to some embodiments. In particular, FIG. 2 is a perspective view, and FIG. 3 a top view, of a welding machine 300. In the example of FIGs. 2 and 3, the welding machine 300 includes a headstock 302, which may be a spindexer in some embodiments, having a collet 304 into which a workpiece may be inserted. In some embodiments, the headstock 302 may be a device capable of readily accepting standard machining collets A welder 312 with welding head 314 is arranged proximate to the headstock 302 so that a workpiece inserted into the collet 304 is aligned with the welding head. A motor 308 is coupled to the headstock via a belt 310, such that rotational motion of the motor 308 is translated into rotational motion of the headstock 302. The headstock 302, the motor 308, and the welder 312 are all mounted to the base 318. The welding machine 300 also includes a control box 326 with an emergency stop button 340 that if depressed will immediately deactivate the welder 312.Attorney Docket No.: S2302.70010WO00

[0122] FIGs. 5 A and 5B depict an illustrative workpiece on which a welding machine (and the cutting machines described above) may perform welding and cutting operations, according to some embodiments. As described above, a welding machine (e.g., welding machine 100) may be configured to weld a joint between elements of a suitable workpiece. In the example of FIGs. 5 A and 5B, workpiece 500 is provided as one illustrative example of such a workpiece.

[0123] In the example of FIGs. 5A and 5B, the workpiece 500 is cylindrical (or generally cylindrical). In some cases, the workpiece 500 may be a container for holding one or more materials, which may include one or more radioactive materials (e.g., radium or a radium compound). In such cases, capsule 504 may be a capsule configured to hold the one or more materials.

[0124] In the example of FIGs. 5A and 5B, cap 506 and cap 508 are configured to be press-fit into opposing ends of the capsule. In some embodiments, the caps are fabricated so that they can be press-fit into the capsule 504 leaving a small clearance, such as less than 40 mil (0.040”), less than 35 mil (0.035”), less than 30 mil (0.030”), less than 25 mil (0.025”), less than 20 mil (0.020”), less than 15 mil (0.015”), less than 10 mil (0.10”), less than 5 mil (0.005"), less than 3 mil (0.003"), less than 2 mil (0.002"), or less than 1 mil (0.001"). In such cases, a tube and cap may be essentially flush with one another at the joint 502 after being press-fit together. In some cases, the capsule 504 may be closed at one end so that a cap is press-fit into one end only, with the other end being already enclosed.

[0125] According to some embodiments, any one or more of the capsule 504, cap 506 and cap 508 may comprise, may consist essentially of, or may be formed entirely of, a metal such as titanium, zirconium, and / or a zirconium alloy. According to some embodiments, a tube and cap may be fabricated for the example of FIGs. 5 A and 5B as follows. First a hollow metal tube (e.g., a titanium, zirconium, or zirconium alloy tube) with open ends may be obtained. Additional metal rods having the same outer diameter may also be obtained for the caps. The additional metal rods for the caps may be turned on a lathe to mill down a portion of their outer diameter until this diameter is approximately the same or slightly larger (e.g., 1 mil larger) than the inner diameter of the hollow metal tube with two open ends. The milled piece may then be push-fit into the hollow tube. The milling process can be repeated for a second additional metal rod to produce another cap.

[0126] FIG. 6A depicts a plurality of illustrative workpieces 600A-600C on which the described welding and / or cutting machines may perform welding / cutting operations, accordingAttorney Docket No.: S2302.70010WO00to some embodiments. As discussed above, it may be desirable to insert the workpieces 600A-600C into a nuclear reactor in order to produce radioisotopes using the material inside the workpiece. However, placing the workpieces 600A-600C in a reactor may involve sliding the workpieces along narrow tubes in the reactor with minimal clearance between the workpieces and the tubes. The inventors have recognized that linking multiple workpieces together via flexible connector portions 610 may allow for easier insertion and removal of the workpieces from such narrow tubes, while also maximizing the number of workpieces which may be inserted. While FIG. 6A depicts three capsules linked together, it is contemplated that any number of capsules may be linked together, as the disclosure is not so limited. Capsule 600C may include an additional connector 610 besides the connector 610 which links capsules 600C and 600B, the additional connector 610 linking capsule 600C to additional capsules in the chain of capsules.

[0127] FIG. 6B depicts a sectional view of workpiece 600A according to an embodiment, and FIG. 6C depicts a section view of workpiece 600B / 600C according to an embodiment. Each workpiece 600A-600C may include a generally cylindrical capsule 604, with caps 606 and / or 608 press-fit into the capsule 604, leaving a small clearance, such as less than 40 mil (0.040”), less than 35 mil (0.035”), less than 30 mil (0.030”), less than 25 mil (0.025”), less than 20 mil (0.020”), less than 15 mil (0.015”), less than 10 mil (0.10”), less than 5 mil (0.005"), less than 3 mil (0.003"), less than 2 mil (0.002"), or less than 1 mil (0.001"). In such cases, a tube and cap may be essentially flush with one another at the joint 602 after being press-fit together.

[0128] As discussed above, it may be desirable to link capsules 600A-600C together to form a chain of capsules for inserting into a nuclear reactor. Caps 606 may each be configured to connect to a connector portion 610 in order to link the capsules together. In some embodiments, the caps 606 include a receiving slot 612 configured to receive a connector 610. Connector 610 may be secured inside receiving slot 612 using any suitable means. For instance, outer walls of the receiving slot 612 may be crimped or otherwise deformed to secure the connector 610 inside the receiving slot. Connector 610 may be a flexible connector (e.g. a cable, wire, adhesive material, or other flexible means of connecting the capsules 600A-600C), in order to allow for a flexible chain of workpieces 600. Such a configuration may be desirable, for instance, if the tubes into which the connectors are inserted are curved.

[0129] In some embodiments, it may be desirable for the leading workpiece 600A in the chain to have leading cap 608 inserted into one end of the corresponding capsule 604. LeadingAttorney Docket No.: S2302.70010WO00cap 608 may have a generally rounded shape in order to limit the likelihood of the leading workpiece 600A becoming snagged on ports, connectors, or other features inside the tubes of the reactor. In specific alternative embodiments, leading workpiece 600A or leading cap 608 does not contain target material but is a solid piece.

[0130] It may be desirable for a workpiece 600 to be configured to suspend a target material as a specific location within the workpiece (e.g., along a longitudinal axis of the workpiece). Such a configuration may be desirable to provide space within the capsule 604 to include one or more additional materials to be disposed around the target material.

[0131] Each cap 606 (and optionally 608) may therefore include a slot 614 sized to receive an inner encapsulation 618, the inner encapsulation 618 holding the target material. When assembling the workpiece, a first cap 606 or 608 may be inserted into an end of capsule 604. An inner encapsulation618 may then be inserted into the slot 614 in that cap 606 or 608. In some embodiments, the slot 614 includes a taper 616 to assist with such insertion. Additional materials may then be inserted into gap 620 between the inner encapsulation 618 and inner walls of capsule 604. Finally, a second cap 606 or 608 may be inserted into a second end of the capsule 604 wherein he inner encapsulation 618 is received into the corresponding slot 614 in the second cap. According to some embodiments, leading workpiece 600A may be empty, such that the leading workpiece 600A does not contain the target material. According to some embodiments, any one or more of the capsule 600, cap 606 and cap 608 may comprise, may consist essentially of, or may be formed entirely of, a metal such as titanium, zirconium, and / or a zirconium alloy.

[0132] FIG. 7 is a flowchart of an illustrative method 700 of performing a welding operation, according to some embodiments. Method 700 may be performed by a welding machine, such as welding machine 100 or 300, to join two elements of a workpiece as described above. In some cases, the welding operation may seal one or more materials inside a container, such as the capsules shown in FIGs. 5 A and 5B.

[0133] In act 702, one or more materials (e.g., radium or a radium compound in addition to other materials), may be inserted into a capsule (e.g., first element 204, capsule 504, or capsule 604). Act 702 may for instance be performed in a clean room and / or in an environment suitable for handling radioactive materials and may be performed automatically by a suitable device (e.g., robotic arm) and / or by a human operator utilizing suitable safety equipment for protection against radioactive or other volatile materials.Attorney Docket No.: S2302.70010WO00

[0134] In act 704, one or more caps (e.g., second element 206, caps 506 and / or 508, or caps 606 and / or 608) are inserted into the capsule. The one or more caps may be inserted into the capsule by hand by a human operator, or as with act 702 may be inserted by a robotic device. As discussed above in relation to FIGs. 6A-6C, in some embodiments, one cap may be inserted into a capsule prior to inserting the one or more materials into the capsule, as the disclosure is not so limited.

[0135] According to some embodiments, acts 702 and / or 704 may be performed in a pressurized environment (e.g. a pressurized glove box) filled with an inert gas (e.g. helium). This may allow for leak testing to be performed on the capsule to ensure a proper seal has been achieved after welding operations are complete and may also reduce or prevent oxidation of the interior portion of the capsule when the capsule is heated by the welder. To perform leak testing, the capsule may be placed in a vacuum chamber after welding operations are complete. The vacuum chamber may include a detector configured to detect presence of the inert gas. If the inert gas is detected after the welding operation(s) are complete, this serves as an indication that the inert gas inside the capsule is leaking out of the capsule, and that a proper seal has not been achieved.

[0136] In act 706, the workpiece (being the combination of the caps and the capsule produced from act 704) is attached to a welding machine via a workpiece holder (e.g., welding machine 100 or 300 and workpiece holder 106). The workpiece may be inserted into the workpiece holder by hand by a human operator, or as with acts 702 and 704 may be inserted by a robotic device.

[0137] In act 708, the welder is aligned with a joint between the capsule and one of the caps inserted in act 704 (e.g., joint 202 produced by joining first element 204 with second element 206 may be aligned with welder 112, or joint 502 / 602 produced by joining capsule 504 / 604 with cap 506 / 606 or cap 508 / 608 may be aligned with welder 112). Alignment here refers to adjusting the relative position of the welder and the workpiece so that when the welder is operated and the workpiece is rotated, the welder will perform a welding operation on the joint of the workpiece. Alignment of the welder may be performed manually by a human operator, may be performed remotely by a human operator (e.g., by moving a robotic arm or other movable structure into a desired position by remote control while viewing the welder through a camera) and / or may be performed automatically by a robotic arm (or other end effector) where an imaging device provides data to one or more controllers moving the robotic arm so that the robotic arm can align the welder and joint through feedback from the imagingAttorney Docket No.: S2302.70010WO00data. Alignment of the welder may alternatively or additionally be achieved by setting fixed stops in the spindle that prevent the capsule 504 / 604 from moving beyond a desired position (e.g., a predetermined positioned).

[0138] In act 710, one or more actuators of the welding machine (e.g., actuator 108 of welding machine 100) may be operated to rotate the workpiece about the longitudinal axis. As described above in relation to FIG. 1, various actuators may be arranged to produce rotational motion of the workpiece such that the position of the axis of rotation of the workpiece remains stationary with respect to the welder. As such, in act 710, any one or more such actuators (in addition to any other suitable components coupled to the actuator or actuators) are activated to produce rotational motion of the workpiece. Suitable target rotational speeds of the workpiece are described above in relation to FIG. 1.

[0139] In act 712, the welder is activated for a period of time to weld the joint of the workpiece. As described above, the period of time may, in a specific embodiment, be approximately 5 seconds. In some embodiments, act 710 is performed first, and once the workpiece’s rotational speed has increased to its target rotational speed, the welder is then activated in act 712. In other embodiments, acts 710 and 712 may be performed concurrently or overlapping in time so that the workpiece is stationary or has an increasing rotational speed when the welder is initially activated.

[0140] In some embodiments, acts 706, 708, 710 and 712 may be repeated to re-position the workpiece and weld a joint between the capsule and a second cap (e.g., capsule 504 / 604 and cap 508 / 608). It should be understood that method 700 is provided as one illustrative example, and that any other suitable method for welding the joints between a capsule and one or more caps may also be contemplated. In particular, the acts may not necessarily be performed in a sequential order as shown in FIG. 7. For instance, in some embodiments, a joint between a capsule and a first cap may be welded (acts 704, 706, 708, 710 and 712), then one or more materials may be inserted into the capsule (act 702), then a second cap may be inserted into the capsule (act 704), then the joint between the second cap and the capsule may be welded (acts 706, 708, 710 and 712). Such a welding operation may also be performed on any suitable workpiece, and specific parameters of the welding operation (e.g., rotation speed, welding time, welding current, etc.) may be adjusted as desired to adapt to the requirements of the specific workpiece. The welding parameters may not necessarily be the same for welding operations being performed on different portions of the same workpiece, for instance (e.g., if two caps inserted into the same capsule are structurally different from one another).Attorney Docket No.: S2302.70010WO00

[0141] While the above embodiments disclose welding joints between elements of a workpiece with a welder by rotating the workpiece relative to a stationary welder, any other method of sealing a joint between elements of a workpiece using the techniques described above is contemplated. For instance, in some embodiments, a soldering tool may be used to solder a joint between elements of a workpiece using the techniques described above, or a brazing tool may be used to braze a joint between elements of the workpiece using the techniques described above. For example, a soldering iron may be arranged adjacent to a rotating workpiece and may solder around the workpiece in a similar manner to the welding robot welds around the workpiece in the examples described above.III. Radioisotope Production Techniques

[0142] The inventors have further developed a manufacturing process for hazardous materials, including the production of desired daughter radioisotopes (e.g., for medical applications) by nuclear flux irradiation that utilizes one or both of the welding machines and cutting devices according to the presently described technology. In particular, in certain embodiments, the welding machine and cutting device described herein may be remotely operated and / or operated in such a way that human operators may reduce or minimize their exposure to hazardous materials contained by the capsule, for example, the welding machine may be used to remotely seal the capsule, and the cutting device may be used to remotely open the capsule to retrieve the produced materials.

[0143] As one example, such a manufacturing process of may involve production of actinium-225 by irradiating target materials containing radium-226. Actinium-225 is an isotope of actinium that shows great promise in medical applications due to its favorable decay properties. In particular, decay of actinium-225 produces short-range, high-energy radiation suitable for use in targeted alpha therapy. The current supply of Ac-225 is small, however, and there have been no successful large scale production efforts, which severely limits its use in treatment. It should be appreciated, however, that the manufacturing techniques described herein are not limited to the production of actinium-225 but could also be applied to the production of radioisotopes including but not limited to: terbium-161, lutetium-177, copper-64, copper-66, actinium- 227, molybdenum-99, bismuth-213, thorium- 227, and / or radium-223. Additional aspects of the production of radioisotopes are described in PCT Application No. PCT / US2025 / 028511 filed May 8, 2025, and titled “Techniques for Obtaining Actinium-225 from Radium-226 and Related Systems and Methods,” which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.Attorney Docket No.: S2302.70010WO00

[0144] FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating such a process 1400 for manufacturing a daughter isotope, according to some embodiments of the technology described herein. In act 1402, a capsule is sealed using a welding machine. The capsule may be sealed such that the interior of the capsule contains a target material (e.g., in a solid, liquid, and / or powder form), where the target material is formed of at least one parent isotope. As one non-limiting example, the target material may include radium- 226. As additional non-limiting examples, the target material may include one or more of the parent isotopes including radium-226 and / or gadolinium- 160.

[0145] In some embodiments, act 1402 may be performed using a welding machine as described herein in connection with the examples of FIGs. 1-4 and 7. For example, the capsule may be formed of a metal (e.g., titanium, zirconium, a zirconium alloy, stainless steel, etc.) and may be hermetically sealed by forming a weld joint between one or more caps (e.g., caps 506, 508 and / or caps 606, 608) and a central portion of the capsule. The capsule may support a target material in the interior of the capsule (e.g., a target material sealed in a quartz or glass tube, a solid target material, etc.).

[0146] In some embodiments, sealing the capsule using the welding machine may include rotating the capsule about a longitudinal axis of the capsule and welding a joint between a first element (e.g., a central portion) and a second element (e.g., a cap) of the capsule. The welding may be performed by applying energy (e.g. laser or electrical current) to heat the joint between the first element and the second element at a stationary point relative to the longitudinal axis of the capsule, the welding being performed while the capsule rotates (e.g., at a speed between 10 and 100 RPM) such that the energy is applied around the circumference of the capsule

[0147] In act 1404, the capsule may be irradiated with a neutron flux for an irradiation period. For example, the capsule may be arranged within an environment in which there are free neutrons, such as within a fission reactor. Neutrons incident on the parent isotope atoms within the target material may cause decay of the parent isotope (e.g., to the desired daughter isotope or to an intermediate isotope that later decays to the daughter isotope). In this manner, irradiating the target material may cause the production of the desired daughter isotope within the target material.

[0148] In act 1406, after the irradiation period, the capsule may be opened using a cutting device in order to remove the irradiated target material from the capsule. In some embodiments, the capsule may be opened using a cutting device as described herein in connection with theAttorney Docket No.: S2302.70010WO00examples of FIGs. 8-13. For example, to open the capsule using the cutting device, the capsule may be rotated about its longitudinal axis, and a cutting wheel may be moved along a lateral direction towards a center of the capsule while the capsule is being rotated in order to cut through an exterior wall of the capsule (e.g., to split the capsule into at least two pieces).

[0149] In act 1408, a sample of the daughter isotope may be separated from the irradiated target material. As one example, where the parent isotope is radium- 226, separating the daughter isotope from the irradiated target material may include separating actinium- 225 from the irradiated target material. As additional, non-limiting examples, separating the daughter isotope from the irradiated target material may include separating one or more of the following isotopes from the irradiated target material: terbium-161, lutetium-177, copper-64, copper-66, actinium-227, molybdenum-99, bismuth-213, thorium- 227, and / or radium- 223.

[0150] In some embodiments, the sample of the daughter isotope may be separated from the irradiated target material. As one example, the daughter isotope may be separated using a column chromatography separation process. In such a process, the irradiated target material is added to a column containing a suitable stationary phase medium for the desired separation, and the column may then be washed with suitable mobile phase solvent(s) to elute different chemical species off the column at different stages. The eluate containing the daughter isotope may then be collected as separate fractions (e.g., in separate containers). Alternatively or additionally, the daughter isotope may be separated from the irradiated target material using any suitable filtration system.IV. Computer Implementation

[0151] An illustrative implementation of a computing device 1500 (e.g. a controller) that may be used in connection with any of the embodiments of the technology described herein (e.g., such as the devices of FIGs. 1-4 and / or FIGs. 8-12) is shown in FIG. 15. The computer system 1500 includes one or more processors 1502 and one or more articles of manufacture that comprise non-transitory computer-readable storage media (e.g., memory 1504 and one or more non-volatile storage media 1506). The processor 1502 may control writing data to and reading data from the memory 1504 and the non-volatile storage device 1506 in any suitable manner, as the aspects of the technology described herein are not limited to any particular techniques for writing or reading data. To perform any of the functionality described herein, the processor 1502 may execute one or more processor-executable instructions stored in one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media (e.g., the memory 1504), which mayAttorney Docket No.: S2302.70010WO00serve as non-transitory computer-readable storage media storing processor-executable instructions for execution by the processor 1502.

[0152] Computing device 1500 may also include a network input / output (I / O) interface 1508 via which the computing device may communicate with other computing devices (e.g., over a network), and may also include one or more user I / O interfaces 1508, via which the computing device may provide output to and receive input from a user. The user I / O interfaces may include devices such as a keyboard, a mouse, a microphone, a display device (e.g., a monitor or touch screen), speakers, a camera, and / or various other types of I / O devices.

[0153] The above-described embodiments can be implemented in any of numerous ways. For example, the embodiments may be implemented using hardware, software, or a combination thereof. When implemented in software, the software code can be executed on any suitable processor (e.g., a microprocessor) or collection of processors, whether provided in a single computing device or distributed among multiple computing devices. It should be appreciated that any component or collection of components that perform the functions described above can be generically considered as one or more controllers that control the above-discussed functions. The one or more controllers can be implemented in numerous ways, such as with dedicated hardware, or with general purpose hardware (e.g., one or more processors) that is programmed using microcode or software to perform the functions recited above.

[0154] In this respect, it should be appreciated that one implementation of the embodiments described herein comprises at least one computer-readable storage medium (e.g., RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (DVD) or other optical disk storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or other tangible, non-transitory computer-readable storage medium) encoded with a computer program (i.e., a plurality of executable instructions) that, when executed on one or more processors, performs the above-discussed functions of one or more embodiments. The computer-readable medium may be transportable such that the program stored thereon can be loaded onto any computing device to implement aspects of the techniques discussed herein. In addition, it should be appreciated that the reference to a computer program which, when executed, performs any of the above-discussed functions, is not limited to an application program running on a host computer. Rather, the terms computer program and software are used herein in a generic sense to reference any type of computer code (e.g., application software, firmware, microcode, or any other form ofAttorney Docket No.: S2302.70010WO00computer instruction) that can be employed to program one or more processors to implement aspects of the techniques discussed herein.

[0155] Having thus described several aspects of at least one embodiment of this invention, it is to be appreciated that various alterations, modifications, and improvements will readily occur to those skilled in the art. Such alterations, modifications, and improvements are intended to be part of this disclosure and are intended to be within the scope of the invention. Further, though advantages of the present invention are indicated, it should be appreciated that not every embodiment of the technology described herein will include every described advantage. Some embodiments may not implement any features described as advantageous herein and in some instances one or more of the described features may be implemented to achieve further embodiments. Accordingly, the foregoing description and drawings are by way of example only.

[0156] The foregoing description of implementations provides illustration and description but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the implementations to the precise form disclosed. Modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings or may be acquired from practice of the implementations. In other implementations the methods depicted in these figures may include fewer operations, different operations, differently ordered operations, and / or additional operations. Further, non-dependent blocks may be performed in parallel.

[0157] It will be apparent that example aspects, as described above, may be implemented in many different forms of software, firmware, and hardware in the implementations illustrated in the figures. Further, certain portions of the implementations may be implemented as a “module” that performs one or more functions. This module may include hardware, such as a processor, an application- specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or a combination of hardware and software.

[0158] Various aspects of the present invention may be used alone, in combination, or in a variety of arrangements not specifically described in the embodiments described in the foregoing and is therefore not limited in its application to the details and arrangement of components set forth in the foregoing description or illustrated in the drawings. For example, aspects described in one embodiment may be combined in any manner with aspects described in other embodiments.

[0159] Also, the invention may be embodied as a method, of which an example has been provided. The acts performed as part of the method may be ordered in any suitable way.Attorney Docket No.: S2302.70010WO00Accordingly, embodiments may be constructed in which acts are performed in an order different than illustrated, which may include performing some acts simultaneously, even though shown as sequential acts in illustrative embodiments.

[0160] Further, some actions are described as taken by a “user.” It should be appreciated that a “user” need not be a single individual, and that in some embodiments, actions attributable to a “user” may be performed by a team of individuals and / or an individual in combination with computer-assisted tools or other mechanisms.

[0161] Use of ordinal terms such as “first,” “second,” “third,” etc., in the claims to modify a claim element does not by itself connote any priority, precedence, or order of one claim element over another or the temporal order in which acts of a method are performed, but are used merely as labels to distinguish one claim element having a certain name from another element having a same name (but for use of the ordinal term) to distinguish the claim elements.

[0162] The terms “approximately” and “about” may be used to mean within ±20% of a target value in some embodiments, within ±10% of a target value in some embodiments, within ±5% of a target value in some embodiments, and yet within ±2% of a target value in some embodiments. The terms “approximately” and “about” may include the target value. The term “substantially equal” may be used to refer to values that are within ±20% of one another in some embodiments, within ±10% of one another in some embodiments, within ±5% of one another in some embodiments, and yet within ±2% of one another in some embodiments.

[0163] The term “substantially” may be used to refer to values that are within ±20% of a comparative measure in some embodiments, within ±10% in some embodiments, within ±5% in some embodiments, and yet within ±2% in some embodiments. For example, a first direction that is “substantially” perpendicular to a second direction may refer to a first direction that is within ±20% of making a 90° angle with the second direction in some embodiments, within ±10% of making a 90° angle with the second direction in some embodiments, within ±5% of making a 90° angle with the second direction in some embodiments, and yet within ±2% of making a 90° angle with the second direction in some embodiments.

[0164] Also, the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of “including,” “comprising,” or “having,” “containing,” “involving,” and variations thereof herein, is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items.

Claims

1. Attorney Docket No.: S2302.70010WO00What is claimed is:CLAIMS1. A cutting device comprising:a headstock configured to rotatably support a workpiece;a cutting apparatus comprising a cutting wheel and at least one roller; andat least one controller, wherein the at least one controller is configured, when the workpiece is mounted to the cutting device in an operable configuration, to actuate the headstock to rotate the workpiece about a longitudinal axis of the workpiece at a desired rotation rate, and wherein a distance between the cutting wheel and the at least one roller is controlled by the at least one controller.

2. The cutting device of claim 1, wherein the at least one controller is configured to decrease the distance between the cutting wheel and the at least one roller while the headstock is rotating the workpiece.

3. The cutting device of claim 2, wherein a speed at which the at least one controller is configured to decrease the distance between the cutting wheel and the at least one roller determines the desired rotation rate of the workpiece.

4. The cutting device of claim 2, wherein the cutting wheel is disposed on a screw, which when rotated, is configured to change a position of the cutting wheel.

5. The cutting device of claim 1, wherein the at least one controller is configured to operate automatically.

6. The cutting device of claim 1, wherein the at least one controller is configured to be remotely accessed.

7. The cutting device of claim 1, further comprising the workpiece, wherein at least a portion of the workpiece is disposed between the cutting wheel and the at least one roller, and wherein the workpiece is an elongated capsule.Attorney Docket No.: S2302.70010WO008. The cutting device of claim 7, wherein the elongated capsule is hermetically sealed.

9. The cutting device of claim 1, further comprising a receptacle disposed below the headstock.

10. The cutting device of claim 9, wherein the receptacle is shock absorbent.

11. The cutting device of claim 1, wherein workpiece is at least partially formed of titanium or zirconium.

12. The cutting device of claim 1, wherein the headstock and the cutting apparatus are disposed on a base.

13. The cutting device of claim 7, wherein the elongated capsule has a diameter and a wall thickness, wherein a distance the cutting wheel moves before cutting is determined by the at least one controller based on the diameter, and wherein a distance the cutting wheel moves while cutting is determined by the at least one controller based on the wall thickness.

14. The cutting device of claim 1, wherein the headstock supports the workpiece by contacting an upper portion of the workpiece.

15. A method for cutting through a wall of an elongated capsule comprising:rotating the elongated capsule about a longitudinal axis of the elongated capsule; while rotating the elongated capsule about the longitudinal axis, moving a cutting wheel towards the longitudinal axis of the elongated capsule to cut through the wall of the elongated capsule; andexposing contents of the elongated capsule.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein moving the cutting wheel towards the longitudinal axis of the elongated capsule comprises moving the cutting wheel through the wall of the elongated capsule to cause the elongated capsule to become separated into at least two pieces.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein exposing the contents of the elongated capsule comprises dropping a bottom portion of the elongated capsule containing the contents of theAttorney Docket No.: S2302.70010WO00elongated capsule into a tray when the bottom portion of the elongated capsule is separated from a top portion of the elongated capsule.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein moving the cutting wheel towards the longitudinal axis of the elongated capsule comprises rotating a screw coupled to a cutting wheel mount supporting the cutting wheel.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising, while rotating the elongated capsule about the longitudinal axis, clamping the elongated capsule between at least one roller and the cutting wheel.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein moving a cutting wheel towards the longitudinal axis of the elongated capsule comprises moving the cutting wheel at a fixed speed over a defined period of time.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein rotating the elongated capsule about a longitudinal axis of the elongated capsule comprises rotating the elongated capsule at a desired rotation rate determined based on the fixed speed of the cutting wheel’s movement toward the longitudinal axis of the elongated capsule.

22. A cutting device comprising:a headstock configured to rotatably support a workpiece containing at least one radioisotope;a cutting apparatus comprising a cutting wheel and at least one roller; and at least one controller configured to, responsive to receiving instructions transmitted to the controller from a remote location and when the workpiece is mounted to the cutting device in an operable configuration, to actuate the headstock to rotate the workpiece about a longitudinal axis of the workpiece at a desired rotation rate, and wherein a distance between the cutting wheel and the at least one roller is controlled by the at least one controller.

23. A method of manufacturing a daughter isotope, the method comprising:sealing a capsule using a welding machine, the capsule containing a target material comprising a parent isotope;irradiating the capsule with a neutron flux for an irradiation period;Attorney Docket No.: S2302.70010WO00after the irradiation period, opening the capsule using a cutting device to remove the irradiated target material; andseparating a sample of the daughter isotope from the irradiated target material.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein sealing the capsule using the welding machine comprises:rotating the capsule about a longitudinal axis of the capsule; andwelding a joint between a first element and a second element of the capsule by applying energy to the joint to cause heating to a temperature sufficient for welding between the first element and the second element at a stationary point relative to the longitudinal axis as the capsule rotates, the energy being applied using a continuous laser of a laser welder.

25. The method of claim 23 or 24, wherein sealing the capsule comprises hermetically sealing the capsule.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein the energy is applied to the capsule to result in a temperature sufficient to completely weld the joint within a time period between 5 and 20 seconds.

27. The method of claim 24 or 26, wherein rotating the capsule about a longitudinal axis of the capsule comprises rotating the capsule at a rotational speed between 10 RPM and 100 RPM.

28. The method of claim 23, wherein the capsule is formed of titanium or zirconium.

29. The method of claim 23, wherein the target material comprises radium-226.

30. The method of claim 23 or 29, wherein separating the sample of the daughter isotope from the irradiated target material comprises separating a sample of actinium- 225 from the irradiated target material.

31. The method of claim 23, wherein opening the capsule using the cutting device comprises:rotating the capsule about a longitudinal axis of the capsule; andAttorney Docket No.: S2302.70010WO00while rotating the capsule about the longitudinal axis, moving a cutting wheel towards the longitudinal axis of the capsule to cut through a wall of the capsule.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein moving the cutting wheel towards the longitudinal axis of the capsule comprises moving the cutting wheel through the wall of the capsule to cause the capsule to become separated into at least two pieces.

33. The method of claim 31, wherein moving the cutting wheel towards the longitudinal axis of the capsule comprises rotating a screw coupled to a cutting wheel mount supporting the cutting wheel.

34. The method of claim 31, wherein opening the capsule using the cutting device further comprises, while rotating the capsule about the longitudinal axis, clamping the capsule between at least one roller and the cutting wheel.

35. The method of claim 31, wherein moving a cutting wheel towards the longitudinal axis of the capsule comprises moving the cutting wheel at a fixed speed over a defined period of time.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein rotating the capsule about a longitudinal axis of the capsule comprises rotating the capsule at a desired rotation rate determined based on the fixed speed of the cutting wheel’s movement toward the longitudinal axis of the capsule.

37. The method of claim 23 or 31, wherein opening the capsule using the cutting device to remove the irradiated target material comprises dropping a bottom portion of the capsule and contents of the capsule into a tray when a bottom portion of the capsule is separated from a top portion of the capsule.

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