3D Printed Tungsten Frame for Radiation Field Shaping
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Solution Overview
Problem
The labor-intensive and inaccurate process of creating customized radiation shielding devices for electron beam radiotherapy, particularly due to the toxicity and poor mechanical properties of traditional materials like Cerrobend, results in field shape and placement uncertainties, complicating tumor irradiation and risking healthy tissue damage.
Innovation Solution
A 3D printed patient-customizable frame filled with granular metal material, such as tungsten alloy ball bearings, which actively shapes and attenuates radiation, eliminating the need for intermediate molding steps and toxic materials, ensuring accurate field shaping and integration with multi-leaf collimator technologies.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional Cerrobend material is used for field shaping devices, then radiation shielding effectiveness is achieved, but toxicity and difficulty in molding increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material composition parameters by replacing toxic Cerrobend (containing lead and cadmium) with non-toxic alternatives such as tungsten alloy, copper, or brass. This parameter change maintains radiation shielding effectiveness while eliminating toxicity, directly resolving the technical contradiction between shielding reliability and harmful factors.
2Adaptability or versatility
If conventional multi-step molding process is used for creating custom field shaping devices, then patient-specific customization is achieved, but manufacturing precision and placement accuracy deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the customization and manufacturing processes by integrating patient-specific design directly into 3D printing parameters. The treatment planning system generates digital models that are directly printed without intermediate molding steps, combining adaptability with high manufacturing precision in a single digital workflow.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical multi-step molding process with additive 3D printing technology. This substitution eliminates manual operations and intermediate transfers that cause precision loss, achieving both patient-specific customization and high manufacturing accuracy through digital fabrication.
3Reliability
If conventional Cerrobend molding process is used, then field shaping capability is achieved, but labor intensity and production time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces labor-intensive mechanical molding operations with automated 3D printing technology. The additive manufacturing process requires minimal manual intervention, significantly reducing labor intensity while maintaining field shaping capability and improving production efficiency.
4Ease of manufacture
If 3D printed plastic parts are used as temporary molds for Cerrobend casting, then ease of manufacture improves, but manufacturing precision and toxicity issues persist
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the intermediate molding step from the manufacturing process. Instead of using 3D printed parts as temporary molds for Cerrobend casting, the invention directly prints the final field shaping device, removing the source of precision loss and simplifying the manufacturing workflow.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent inverts the conventional approach by making the 3D printed part the final functional device rather than a temporary mold. This inversion eliminates the need for material transfer and casting, directly achieving both ease of manufacture and high precision.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This method simplifies the creation of radiation beam shaping devices, reducing toxicity, labor, and costs while improving accuracy and reproducibility, achieving precise field placement and shape reproduction compared to traditional Cerrobend methods.
Implementation Method 1
a granular material contained within the interior space, where the granular material has a bulk density of at least 3 g/cm3 and composed of metal grains having a size between 1 μm and 4 mm
Data Source
AI summary
A radiation beam field shaping device is made from a 3D printed frame that contains and gives shape to a granular material with bulk density of at least 3 g/cm3 and composed of metal grains having a size between 1 μm and 4 mm. The frame has a hole in the bottom with surrounding walls that defines the desired beam shape. In one implementation, the metal grains are composed of solid tungsten alloy ball bearings and/or tungsten alloy powder.