3D printed testing aids for radiographic quality control

Abstract

Quality control testing of radiographic and fluoroscopic imaging systems requires positioning of test objects in the x‐ray beam in a precise and repeatable fashion. In this work we present several three‐dimensional (3D) printed testing aids that improve efficiency, accuracy, and repeatability of quality control testing. We also present a new device for determining the location of the perpendicular ray in radiographic systems. These devices were designed in an open source software program (OpenScad, http://www.openscad.org) and 3D models were saved in .stl format for printing. The models were printed on either a MakerBot Replicator 2 or Replicator Z18 printer (MakerBot Industries, LLC, Brooklyn, NY). The testing aids were printed using polylactic acid (PLA) filament. To investigate the radiographic characteristics of the PLA used, test articles were printed and used to measure the half‐value layer (HVL) thicknesses in mm of PLA and half‐value densities (HVD) in g/cm2 of PLA for two different colors and over a wide range of radiographic beam qualities, using a portable fluoroscopic c‐arm system. HVL thicknesses of clear PLA ranged from approximately 20 mm at 50 kV nominal tube voltage to 27 mm at 120 kV nominal tube voltage. For green PLA, the HVL thickness was 19 mm at 50 kV tube voltage and 25.7 mm at 120 kV tube voltage. The HVD of clear PLA ranged from 2.37 g/cm2 at 50 kV nominal tube voltage to 3.19 g/cm2 at 120 kV nominal tube voltage. For green PLA, the HVD was 2.35 g/cm2 at 50 kV tube voltage and 3.17 g/cm2 at 120 kV tube voltage. The cost of the devices range from under $2 to approximately $20 in materials. The files used to create the models are freely available at https://github.com/Upstate3DLab/3D-Printed-Radiographic-Test-Tools.

Attenuation properties of common 3D printed FFF plastics for mammographic applications

“…This well-known technology is based on the thermoplastic extrusion, in which the melted plastic material is deposited layer by layer on the bed platform [10,11]. 3D printing has provided many research opportunities related to the development of radiographic QC devices [10][11][12][13] (e.g., radiochromic filmstrip holder set tools, X-ray beam alignment and collimation tools), phantoms for positron emission tomography [14,15], single photon emission tomography imaging [16] and radiotherapy [17]. In addition, the diverse infill percentages are known to change the behavior of 3D printed materials for X-ray attenuation [18][19][20].…”

Desenvolvimento de um simulador antropomórfico de pescoço-tireoide tecido-equivalente impresso em 3D para aplicações multidisciplinares

“…O uso de impressão 3D e filamentos comumente encontrados comercialmente para o desenvolvimento de simuladores está sendo investigado [5,6] e pesquisas estão sendo realizadas em desenvolvimentos de dispositivos de controle de qualidade [7,8], imagens de TC [9], dosimetria clínica de elétrons [10], desenvolvimentos de simuladores físicos e antropomórficos à mamografia baseada em dados de TC de pacientes e simuladores matemáticos, usados para desenvolvimento e otimização de novas técnicas de imagem de mama, novos modelos de teste realistas para dosimetria de mama por raios-X; bem como no desenvolvimento de algoritmos de reconstrução e aprimoramento de imagem [11][12][13].…”