3D Printed Tungsten Shielding for Structural Rigidity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional electromagnetic shielding materials like lead lack structural strength and rigidity, leading to potential failure and limitations in size and shape due to delamination issues when used in medical imaging devices, necessitating an improved method for manufacturing a more effective shielding solution.
Innovation Solution
A method of additive fabrication, specifically three-dimensional printing, is used to create electromagnetic shielding elements with high tungsten content, either as a standalone material or suspended in a polymeric matrix, allowing for precise control over shape, size, and composition, including the option of combining tungsten with other metals for enhanced structural integrity and radiation shielding.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If lead is used as shielding material, then radiation shielding effectiveness is improved, but structural strength and rigidity deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses composite materials by combining tungsten particles (90-98 wt%) with a binder material to create a shielding composition that maintains both radiation shielding effectiveness and structural strength. The tungsten provides density for radiation attenuation while the binder provides structural integrity and rigidity, resolving the contradiction between shielding performance and mechanical properties.
2Strength
If lead shielding is adhesively bonded to aluminum substrate, then structural rigidity is improved, but delamination and creeping occur over time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the shielding layer and structural layer into a single monolithic component manufactured via additive fabrication. The tungsten-based shielding composition is deposited directly onto the substrate and fused layer-by-layer, creating a unified structure without adhesive interfaces. This eliminates the delamination and creeping issues that occur in bonded assemblies over time.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses additive fabrication to create a precise digital model of the shielding component, building it layer-by-layer according to digital specifications. This ensures consistent geometry, uniform material distribution, and repeatable manufacturing, eliminating the variability and interface defects associated with traditional lamination processes.
3Ease of manufacture
If traditional lamination manufacturing is used, then production is simplified, but size and shape flexibility deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs additive fabrication technology that allows dynamic adjustment of manufacturing parameters including layer thickness, deposition rate, heating temperature, and tungsten particle size. These controllable parameters enable the production of complex geometries and custom shapes while maintaining manufacturing efficiency, resolving the contradiction between ease of manufacture and design flexibility.
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
The method produces shielding elements with high tungsten density that offer equivalent or superior radiation shielding properties to lead while providing improved structural strength and flexibility in design, reducing the risk of delamination and enabling larger, more complex shapes.
Implementation Method 1
providing a quantity of a molten compound comprising an electromagnetic shielding component to an additive fabrication tool
Implementation Method 2
The viscosity of the composition is adjusted to enable effective deposition through the additive fabrication tool
Implementation Method 3
cooling the molten compound to form a hardened compound comprising the electromagnetic shielding element
Implementation Method 4
Lead is an effective shielding material due to its high density, i.e., relatively high atomic mass and small atomic radius, which absorbs and scatters various forms of electromagnetic radiation including x-rays
Implementation Method 5
Lead is an effective shielding material due to its high density, i.e., relatively high atomic mass and small atomic radius, which absorbs and scatters various forms of electromagnetic radiation including x-rays
Data Source
Figure 1
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AI summary
A method of manufacturing an electromagnetic shield for electromagnetic radiation shielding. The electromagnetic shield is formed via the additive fabrication of a compound comprised of at least 90 percent tungsten by weight or alternatively 40 to 60 percent tungsten by volume.