Additive Manufacturing CT Gantry Bogie for High-Speed Rotation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional bogies for computer tomographs face challenges in achieving high rotational speeds while maintaining rigidity, leading to potential image artifacts due to deformation, and require significant energy for acceleration, which increases operational costs and patient waiting times.
Innovation Solution
A bogie manufactured using additive manufacturing techniques, such as 3D printing, with a structural-optimized design that incorporates lightweight materials and unconventional topologies, allowing for higher rotational speeds and reduced weight, thereby enhancing stiffness and reducing energy requirements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the bogie is designed with thick wall thickness (20-25 mm) to ensure rigidity at high rotation speeds, then the bogie maintains dimensional stability and prevents image artifacts, but the weight of the bogie increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The bogie is divided into multiple struts that are distributed throughout the structure. These struts work together to provide the necessary rigidity and load-bearing capacity while using less material than a solid thick-walled construction. The segmented approach allows optimization of each strut's position and thickness to achieve maximum structural efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from conventional two-dimensional planar structures to three-dimensional spatial frameworks. The struts are arranged in three-dimensional space to create a rigid spatial structure that provides equivalent or superior stiffness to traditional thick-walled designs but with significantly reduced material consumption and weight.
2Use of energy by moving object
If the bogie weight is reduced through lightweight construction, then the energy required for acceleration decreases and patient throughput increases, but the rigidity and dimensional stability at high rotation speeds deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The bogie structure is segmented into multiple struts that are strategically positioned to provide optimal structural support. This segmentation allows the structure to achieve high rigidity-to-weight ratio by distributing loads efficiently across multiple elements rather than using a single heavy construction.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite material structures combining different materials with complementary properties. The struts may use materials optimized for high strength-to-weight ratios, allowing the bogie to maintain dimensional stability at high rotation speeds while minimizing weight and associated energy consumption for acceleration.
3Reliability
If conventional casting methods are used to manufacture the bogie, then the manufacturing process is well-established and reliable, but the design freedom and ability to optimize for lightweight construction are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes advanced manufacturing parameters and processes that enable the creation of complex three-dimensional strut configurations. These manufacturing parameter changes allow realization of designs that would be impossible or extremely difficult to achieve with conventional casting, while maintaining manufacturing reliability through controlled additive processes.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a rotating frame (30) for the gantry (2) of a computed tomography scanner (1), which has mounting areas (12) to which rotating components (20, 22, 24) of the computed tomography scanner can be attached. The rotating frame (30) is manufactured at least partially by additive manufacturing. The invention also relates to a gantry (2) and a computed tomography scanner (1) with such a rotating frame.