LINAC Cavities Made by Additive Manufacturing

Basically, LINACs are based on high-frequency cavities, which are assembled from many individual parts in a complex manufacturing process. This conventional manufacturing process is responsible for up to 20 % of the investment costs for LINACs. Moreover, it prevents the realisation of innovative cavity concepts for a new generation of resource-saving LINACs with higher performance, lower energy consumption, longer operating times and smaller dimensions.

The additive manufacturing processes suitable for the creation of copper cavities are laser powder bed fusion and electron beam powder bed fusion. There are no restrictions regarding the cavity geometry except the difficulty of printing overhangs with an angle of less than 45° between them and the building platform. This limitation can be overcome by using the design guide which is part of the patent application. Different post processing options have been tested to achieve suitable surface roughness.

• Relevant reduction of manufacturing costs
• Freedom in cavitiy design due to additive manufacturing
• Optimized cavity geometries reduce LINAC operating costs while increasing operating time and lifetime
• Innovation can be used in particle accelerators for e.g. radiation therapy, cargo scanning or food

Technology readiness level 5-6: Technology validated and demonstrated in relevant environment.