[3D Printing] Bring ATLAS to your desk: CERN detector 3D model
Imagine you are holding a cutting-edge piece of the history of physics in your hand.
Thanks to 3D printing and dedicated CERN physicists, you can now do this.
“We joked with our colleagues that we should put a small detector in the office so that we could better explain which part of the detector we were discussing to people who weren’t familiar with it. That’s how my passion project started.” – Jan Brajer, CERN Engineer
What is ATLAS?
The ATLAS detector is a giant scientific instrument at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN).
Founded in 1954, the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) is located near Geneva and is home to the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the world's largest and most powerful particle accelerator.
Scientists study the fundamental components of the universe and unravel its deepest mysteries here.
Left image: Inside ATLAS, a space-viewing tour tool from CERN; Right image: A calorimeter inserted between the loop coils of the ATLAS experimental detector.
ATLAS is the largest particle detector ever built, measuring 46 x 25 x 25 meters and weighing 7,000 to 9,000 tons.Specifically, ATLAS is the height of an eight-story building, the length of half a football field, and the weight of 1,200 elephants.
It acts like a sophisticated "camera" that can capture and analyze high-energy particle collisions produced by the Large Hadron Collider.
These collisions recreated conditions similar to those after the Big Bang, providing scientists with a unique window into the origins of the universe.
The detector recorded the results of these collisions in great detail, helping researchers study phenomena such as the Higgs boson (the particle that explains how everything in the universe acquires mass) and search for elusive dark matter (a kind of invisible matter believed to make up most of the universe).
From Passionate Projects to Public Access
The plan started as a joke between Jan Brajer, a member of the ATLAS detector operations team at CERN, and his colleagues, but it later evolved into a passionate project.
The news spread quickly, and Jan was formally asked to prepare a retirement gift as the coordinator of ATLAS.
He spent six months creating a 3D model, meticulously replicating the design of ATLAS. This process was not without its challenges.
"The most difficult thing is probably creating the ring structure and trying to balance printability and detail," Jan explained.
Left image: 3D model of a single toroidal coil. Right image: Complete toroidal structure with a muon chamber, from Jan's assembly guide.
It contains more than 200 parts and took five weeks to print and assemble using four 3D printers.
"Assembly was a nightmare, and I noticed a lot of room for improvement on the model," he said.
"When the model was delivered to the recipient, I felt incredibly relieved; I no longer needed to think about it."
But the story doesn't end there! Multiple departments contacted him, asking if he could share the model for educational and promotional purposes.
As a perfectionist, he was willing to rework and simplify the model before sharing it, and spend countless hours perfecting the design.
Jan improved the original version, making assembly easier to manage.
He also tweaked features such as the barrel-shaped muon chamber to improve its printability, ensuring the model is easier to reproduce without losing its intricate details.
However, the plan faced a major setback when Jan was involved in a bicycle accident; he lost most of the data stored on the portable drive.
Undeterred, he started over.
"After recovering, I started my journey again, and finally, a year later, I uploaded a model that I was willing to show to the public," he shared.
"Assembly was a nightmare, and I noticed a lot of room for improvement on the model," he said.
"When the model was delivered to the recipient, I felt incredibly relieved; I no longer needed to think about it."
But the story doesn't end there! Multiple departments contacted him, asking if he could share the model for educational and promotional purposes.
As a perfectionist, he was willing to rework and simplify the model before sharing it, and spend countless hours perfecting the design.
Jan improved the original version, making assembly easier to manage.
He also tweaked features such as the barrel-shaped muon chamber to improve its printability, ensuring the model is easier to reproduce without losing its intricate details.
However, the plan faced a major setback when Jan was involved in a bicycle accident; he lost most of the data stored on the portable drive.
Undeterred, he started over.
"After recovering, I started my journey again, and finally, a year later, I uploaded a model that I was willing to show to the public," he shared.
The masterpiece is now open to everyone.
Jan's incredible 1:100 ATLAS model is now available on MakerWorld .
It won second place in the physics education competition.
This is truly a masterpiece. It represents months of design, countless iterations, and an extremely high level of dedication.
The ATLAS model is an ambitious printing project that requires 4 days and 6 hours of printing time, 2 kilograms of filament, and 644 magnets (plus some glue) to assemble – a rewarding challenge for any Transcend.
Projects like these are more than just fun. They are valuable resources for understanding complex scientific concepts.
Moreover, you don't see a miniature version of one of the world's most iconic scientific experiments on your desk every day!
Thank you, Jan, for sacrificing so much of your lunch break and free time so that we can all use this model.
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