Additive Manufacturing Collimator Segments via Interlocking Projections
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The fabrication of collimators for nuclear medicine imaging systems with wide fields of view requires large manufacturing equipment and lengthy times, which can lead to machining imprecision and reduced imaging fidelity.
Innovation Solution
The use of additive manufacturing techniques to assemble collimators from multiple segments, where each segment is interlocked with adjacent ones via projections and recesses, allowing for precise geometric configurations and increased structural integrity, and varying septal thickness to minimize septal penetration and enhance radiation shielding.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If large manufacturing equipment is used to fabricate collimators for wide field of view applications, then the collimator can accommodate large fields of view, but manufacturing time increases and machining precision decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The collimator is divided into multiple segments that can be manufactured separately using smaller additive manufacturing equipment. Each segment is produced with high precision independently, then assembled together to form the complete collimator structure that covers the required wide field of view. This segmentation allows small-scale precise manufacturing to achieve large-scale functional coverage.
2Area of stationary object
If large manufacturing equipment is used to fabricate collimators for wide field of view applications, then the collimator can accommodate large fields of view, but manufacturing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The collimator fabrication process is segmented into multiple independent additive manufacturing operations, each producing a smaller component simultaneously or in parallel. This approach eliminates the need for sequential manufacturing of a single large component, significantly reducing total manufacturing time while maintaining the capability to produce large field of view collimators through subsequent assembly of the segments.
3Strength
If traditional manufacturing methods are used, then structural integrity may be maintained, but manufacturing time increases and precision decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The manufacturing approach transitions from traditional subtractive or formative methods to additive manufacturing, fundamentally changing the fabrication parameters. Additive manufacturing builds components layer-by-layer, enabling complex internal geometries and optimized lattice structures that enhance structural integrity while reducing material usage and manufacturing time compared to traditional methods.
Solution Approach 2:
The collimator segments utilize composite material structures, potentially combining different materials with complementary properties (e.g., high-strength alloys with radiation-shielding materials). This composite approach optimizes both structural integrity and radiation attenuation performance while maintaining manufacturing efficiency through additive processes.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and systems are provided for additive manufacturing of collimators for medical imaging applications. In one example, a collimator may include a plurality of collimator segments including a plurality of septa, wherein at least one collimator segment may be interlocked with at least one adjacent collimator segment via mating of one or more projections with one or more complementary recesses, each of the one or more projections including a lengthwise portion of at least one septum of the plurality of septa.