阿贡国家实验室3D打印PEEK助力同位素回收

每年，医生都依赖钼-99（Mo-99）来诊断大量癌症和心脏病病例。然而，这种同位素的回收过程一直以来都不简单、成本高且效率低。阿贡国家实验室传播总监 Dave Burkey 表示：“此前并不存在一种简单、经济且高效的方式来回收这种同位素。”

Mo-99 会衰变为 锝-99m（Tc-99m），这是一种在医药研发中至关重要的同位素。通过浓缩 Mo-99 来制备 Tc-99m 的成本十分高昂，约为每克 1000 美元。阿贡国家实验室通过使用PEEK（聚醚醚酮）材料制成的零部件，并借助远铸智能 FUNMAT PRO HT 大尺寸高温 3D 打印机进行打印，成功实现了富集 Mo-98 和 Mo-100 的规模化回收。

2015 年，Peter Tkac 及其团队提出了这一方法。与其他回收方式相比，该方案更快、更经济且更可靠。但正如 Tkac 所指出的那样：“最初在实现自动化方面存在一定难度。”

正如 Burkey 在此前发表的研究中所提到的，富集钼的回收过程极其复杂。该过程需要通过一系列强腐蚀性的化学处理，将富集钼溶解于酸性溶液中，随后还要经过繁琐的过滤与纯化步骤，才能最终获得富集钼。

2016 年，Tkac 与航空工程及 3D 打印技术专家 Peter Kozak 合作，研究富集钼的自动化纯化与分离工艺。他们以 3D 打印的丙烯接触器替代了传统的漏斗和试管，利用离心力实现化学物质的分离。

Kozak 解释道：“借助 3D 打印，我们可以制造出结构更流线化、集成度更高、外部连接更少的接触器，从而使液体在分离系统中流动得更快、更稳定。”Alex Brown、Brian Saboriendo 及其研究团队在《溶剂萃取与离子交换期刊》上发表的研究指出，3D 打印接触器显著提升了富集钼的回收效率、降低了成本，并实现了富集钼与钾及其他杂质之间更高效的分离与纯化。

然而，这些丙烯接触器在使用 15 小时后便受到盐酸腐蚀。“尽管实验结果令人鼓舞，但要实现规模化应用，我们仍需要一种更耐腐蚀的材料。”Kozak 表示。

随后，Tkac 和 Kozak 发现了 PEEK（聚醚醚酮） 材料。与丙烯相比，PEEK 具备更优异的耐腐蚀性和更高的稳定性，非常适合在有机溶剂和酸性环境中进行长期使用。然而，PEEK 的 3D 打印过程容易出现翘曲和收缩问题。通过调节风扇速度和腔体温度，Kozak 借助 远铸智能 FUNMAT PRO HT 成功解决了这些难题。

FUNMAT PRO HT 使 Kozak 团队能够稳定打印 PEEK 接触器，从而实现对富集钼的快速、高效回收。

Carbon-Fiber Structures

Their in-house INTAMSYS Printers 3D printed parts have a unique application in carbon-fiber structures. To shape the carbon-fiber structures and prevent them from melting at high temperatures during the process, the team uses 3D-printed parts made from PEI material. The high strength and heat resistance of PEI make it suitable for the hot and pressurized environment inside an autoclave.

Air Geo

The team also uses PEI a lot inside their high-voltage accumulator. With its fire resistance and high strength abilities, PEI is again the perfect choice for many parts inside the accumulator. One of these parts is Air Geo, which is located inside the accumulator at the back of the car. This component serves as a housing for cables, relays, fuses, and numerous PCBs, ranging from light indicators for the accumulator to the accumulator management system.

After thorough research and benchmarking, WEERG chose INTAMSYS as their supplier. The INTAMSYS FUNMAT PRO 410 met all their requirements with features like a heated chamber, dual heated nozzles, and a heated filament chamber.

INTAMSYS offered one single solution that got it all:

A robust printer with a sleek aesthetic finish, heated chamber, dual heated nozzles, and heated filament chamber.
Free and user-friendly software with incorporated printing settings (Click and Print experience) for a wide range of materials (from PA12-CF to PEEK).
Reliable support, and most importantly for WEERG, honesty and a true partnership.

WEERG also appreciated the user-friendly software with incorporated printing settings and the reliable support from INTAMSYS.

We accompany our customers in a professional manner throughout the entire project - from planning and design to the prototype or the production of a complete series. Combining our 3D printing processes with conventional component processing, post-processing and surface refinement of the prototypes, small series or even a trade fair exhibit is our daily business. Since the company was founded in 1995, our experienced team in Gross-Gerau has made a name for itself well beyond the borders of the Rhine-Main area. We are one of the leading service providers for everything to do with 3D printing and have more than satisfied customers from a wide variety of industries - from the automotive and consumer goods industries to mechanical engineering and companies from the medical technology sector.

Alex Di Maglie
Managing Director, 4D Concepts

3D PRINTER

FUNMAT PRO 410
COST-EFFECTIVE

Print Larger, Print More
OPEN

Open-Sourced Filaments

3D PRINTER

FUNMAT HT
COST EFFICIENCY

Lower Cost, Shorter Lead Times
MATERIAL SUPERIORITY

Versatile INTAM™ Polymers

Tank Holder

The tank holder is a new part in this year´s racing car. The part is printed on the FUNMAT PRO 610HT with the material choice of ABS. For the driverless disciplines, the team uses pressurized air to activate the brakes in an emergency. This year, they changed the concept of how pressurized air is stored, which required a new mounting solution. The tank holder is designed to solve this challenge.

Flap Ribs

Other 3D printed parts, using the FUNMAT PRO 610HT and PC material, are the flap ribs that play a crucial role in the construction of the car’s side wing. These ribs are glued into the carbon-fiber shells and incorporate threaded inserts for attaching the wing to the chassis.

While the team has used these ribs for years, they have redesigned for this season to accommodate changes in the aerodynamic shape of the wings. Using INTAMSUITE™ NEO and the 3D printing technology, they conducted topology optimization to achieve the lightest possible geometry, resulting in an organic shape that would not be possible to manufacture by milling.

3D 打印 PEEK 材料如何助力阿贡国家实验室实现同位素回收

使用丙烯材料制造回收接触器