Pixelated Plastic Scintillator Array Manufacturing using Fast-, Photo-Curable Resin

TL;DR

This paper introduces a rapid additive manufacturing method for pixelated plastic scintillator arrays, enabling efficient production with high resolution and effective radiation discrimination.

Contribution

It presents a novel automated fabrication process using a custom photocurable resin for high-precision, two-dimensional scintillator arrays.

Findings

Arrays produced with minimal defects and tight tolerances.

Production rate of 4 layers per hour for 1D arrays.

2D arrays up to 7x7 pixels completed in 3.5 hours.

Abstract

Pixelated plastic scintillator arrays can serve as high efficiency and high resolution neutron imaging detectors. Manufacturing these arrays is intensive in both time and labor. This work presents a fabrication method based on additive manufacturing for two-dimensional plastic organic scintillator arrays using a custom-built automated assembly machine and a custom photocurable resin that has significant non-aromatic acrylate oligomer content. The process involves two main stages: fully autonomous production of one-dimensional layered arrays, followed by semi-autonomous cutting and stacking to form two-dimensional pixel arrays. One-dimensional arrays were manufactured at a rate of around 4 layers per hour with minimal defects and tight dimensional tolerances, while two-dimensional arrays up to 7 x 7 pixels and 70 mm in length were completed in approximately 3.5 hours. Final arrays exhibited dimensional deviations of less than 0.5 mm. Two-dimensional arrays read out by a multi-anode photomultiplier tube demonstrated per-pixel position resolution and pulse-shape discrimination, enabling gamma-neutron interaction separation in mixed radiation environments.