Case Study: NIKHEF achieves -40°C, leak‑tight ultra‑thin titanium cool‑bars for LHCb with 3D Systems' DMP metal 3D printing

CERN LHCb Advances Particle Detection Capabilities with 3D Printed Cooling System

Nikhef and 3D Systems partnered with CERN’s LHCb experiment to solve a critical cooling challenge: develop reliable, leak‑tight titanium cool-bars that fit into an extremely constrained detector space and cool a 263 mm photon‑detection strip to −40°C. The parts required exceptionally thin 0.25 mm walls, sub‑millimeter geometry, and 50 μm flatness over the full length—specifications that could not be produced reproducibly with conventional manufacturing.

Working with 3D Systems’ Customer Innovation Center, the teams optimized the design for metal additive manufacturing and produced the parts using direct metal printing (DMP) with LaserForm® TiGr23. The result: leak‑tight, high‑precision cool-bars meeting the wall‑thickness and flatness targets, a cost‑effective production route for 300+ units, predicted 10‑year durability, and recognition with the 2019 LHCb Industry Award.

NIKHEF

Antonio Pellegrino

NIKHEF