Abstract

Scintillation is the production of visible light in a transparent material when exposed to either an electron, ion, or some other high energy particle. There are many ways to manufacture scintillators, but unfortunately many of these methods involve the costly machining of crystal materials. We plan to reduce this cost by attempting to manufacture plastic scintillators using a 3D printer. The most difficult challenge has been making transparent prints. We have had success with PET filament, the same plastic used in soda bottles. Upon successful clear prints, we intend to use recycled bottles to manufacture our own doped fiber. Organic compounds such as Naphthalene and Anthracene are our targeted doping compounds.

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3D Printing Plastic Scintillators

Scintillation is the production of visible light in a transparent material when exposed to either an electron, ion, or some other high energy particle. There are many ways to manufacture scintillators, but unfortunately many of these methods involve the costly machining of crystal materials. We plan to reduce this cost by attempting to manufacture plastic scintillators using a 3D printer. The most difficult challenge has been making transparent prints. We have had success with PET filament, the same plastic used in soda bottles. Upon successful clear prints, we intend to use recycled bottles to manufacture our own doped fiber. Organic compounds such as Naphthalene and Anthracene are our targeted doping compounds.