Pixelated plastic scintillator array manufacturing using fast-, photo-curable resin

Authors

• C. J. Moore, Air Force Institute of Technology
• Juan J. Manfredi, Air Force Institute of TechnologyFollow
• Michael T. Febbraro, Air Force Institute of TechnologyFollow
• D. Rustrom, Air Force Institute of Technology
• A. Decker, Defense Threat Reduction Agency
• Ryan A. Kemnitz, Air Force Institute of TechnologyFollow
• T. J. Ruland, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
• Paul A. Hausladen, Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

4-7-2026

Abstract

Pixelated plastic scintillator arrays can serve as high efficiency and high resolution neutron imaging detectors. Manufacturing these arrays is intensive in both time and labor. This work presents a fabrication method based on additive manufacturing for two-dimensional plastic organic scintillator arrays using a custom-built automated assembly machine and a custom photocurable resin that has significant non-aromatic acrylate oligomer content. The process involves two main stages: fully autonomous production of one-dimensional layered arrays, followed by semi-autonomous cutting and stacking to form two-dimensional pixel arrays. One-dimensional arrays were manufactured at a rate of around 4 layers per hour with minimal defects and tight dimensional tolerances, while two-dimensional arrays up to 7 × 7 pixels and 70 mm in length were completed in approximately 3.5 hours. Final arrays exhibited dimensional deviations of less than 0.5 mm. Two-dimensional arrays read out by a multi-anode photomultiplier tube demonstrated per-pixel position resolution and pulse-shape discrimination, enabling gamma–neutron interaction separation in mixed radiation environments.

Comments

The full text of this article is available by subscription or purchase using the DOI below.

Co-author M. Febbraro was co-affiliated with Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

DOI

10.1016/j.nima.2026.171549

Source Publication

Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment (ISSN 0168-9002)

Recommended Citation

Moore, C. J., Manfredi, J. J., Febbraro, M., Rutstrom, D., Decker, A., Kemnitz, R., Ruland, T., & Hausladen, P. A. (2026). Pixelated plastic scintillator array manufacturing using fast-, photo-curable resin. Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, 1088(August), 171549. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2026.171549