Tungsten Container - Radioactive Target Housing

Motivation:
-Needed a compact, durable container to safely store and handle small radioactive targets while minimizing radiation exposure to lab personnel
-Sought to leverage additive manufacturing to create a cost-effective solution using radiation-shielding materials
-Buying a solid Tungsten Container would cost ~$1000.

Project Overview:
-Designed and 3D-printed a container using tungsten-filled PETG to house four radioactive disks
-Achieved a container material cost of approximately $200 using tungsten-filled filament, an ~80% cost reduction compared to commercial alternatives.
-Maintained a minimum wall thickness of 4.66 mm throughout the design to ensure effective radiation shielding
-Developed a protective enclosure to prevent damage to delicate and high-value radioactive targets

Design & Engineering Approach:
-Iteratively developed multiple container designs to optimize structural strength, fit, and ease of use
-Designed interlocking top and bottom housings with alignment features to ensure consistent assembly
-Optimized geometry for FDM printing to eliminate the need for support material while maintaining strength
-Conducted targeted print tests to fine-tune temperature, speed, and extrusion settings for tungsten-filled filament
-Built an Excel-based cost model to compare design iterations and material usage

Challenges & Technical Considerations:
-Worked with limited filament availability, requiring careful tuning to minimize print failures and material waste
-Balanced radiation shielding requirements with printability and ergonomic handling
-Incorporated cost constraints into both material selection and design iteration decisions

Skills Learned / Reinforced:
-Advanced FDM printing with specialty, filled filaments
-Print-parameter optimization for new materials
-Parametric design in SolidWorks
-Design for manufacturability and ergonomic use
-Cost modeling and design trade-off analysis
-Scalable enclosure design for safety-critical applications