【3D Printing】Bringing ATLAS to Your Desk: 3D Models of CERN Detectors
Imagine holding a piece of cutting-edge physics history in your hand.
Thanks to 3D printing and a dedicated CERN physicist, now you can.
“My colleagues and I joked about having a small detector in the office to better explain to those unfamiliar with the detector which part of the detector was being discussed. That's how my passion project began.” – 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, CERN, located near Geneva, is home to the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the world’s largest and most powerful particle accelerator.
Here, scientists study the fundamental building blocks of the universe and unravel its deepest mysteries.
Left: Inside ATLAS, from CERN's spatial panorama tool; Right: Calorimeters inserted between the toroidal coils of the ATLAS experiment detector.
ATLAS is the largest particle detector ever built, measuring 46 x 25 x 25 meters and weighing 7,000 - 9,000 tons.Specifically, ATLAS is as tall as an 8-story building, as long as half a football field, and weighs as much as 1,200 elephants.
It acts like a sophisticated "camera" that captures and analyzes the high-energy particle collisions produced by the Large Hadron Collider.
These collisions recreate conditions similar to those after the Big Bang, providing scientists with a unique window into the universe's origins.
The detector records the outcomes of these collisions in extreme detail, helping researchers study phenomena like the Higgs boson (a particle that explains how everything in the universe acquired mass) and search for elusive dark matter (an invisible substance believed to make up most of the universe).
From Passion Project to Public Access
This project, which began as a joke between Jan Brajer, a member of CERN's ATLAS detector operations team, and his colleagues, evolved into a passion project.
Word quickly spread, and Jan was formally asked to create one as a retirement gift for an ATLAS coordinator.
He spent 6 months creating the 3D model, meticulously replicating the ATLAS design. This process was not without its challenges.
"The hardest thing was probably creating the toroidal structure and trying to balance printability with detail," Jan explained.
Left: 3D model of a single toroidal coil. Right: Complete toroidal structure with muon chambers, from Jan's assembly guide.
It contained over 200 parts and took 5 weeks to print and assemble using four 3D printers.
"Assembly was a nightmare, and I noticed many areas for improvement in the model," he said.
"When the model was delivered to its recipient, I felt immensely relieved, thinking I no longer had to worry about it."
But the story didn't end there! Multiple departments contacted him, asking if he could share the model for educational and outreach purposes.
As a perfectionist, he was willing to rework and simplify the model before sharing it, spending countless hours perfecting the design.
Jan improved the original version, making assembly more manageable.
He also adjusted features such as the barrel muon chambers to improve their printability, ensuring the model was easier to replicate without losing its intricate details.
However, the project faced a significant setback when Jan had a bicycle accident; he lost most of the data saved on his portable drive.
Undeterred, he started over.
"After recovery, I embarked on the journey again, and eventually, a year later, I uploaded a model ready for public display," he shared.
"Assembly was a nightmare, and I noticed many areas for improvement in the model," he said.
"When the model was delivered to its recipient, I felt immensely relieved, thinking I no longer had to worry about it."
But the story didn't end there! Multiple departments contacted him, asking if he could share the model for educational and outreach purposes.
As a perfectionist, he was willing to rework and simplify the model before sharing it, spending countless hours perfecting the design.
Jan improved the original version, making assembly more manageable.
He also adjusted features such as the barrel muon chambers to improve their printability, ensuring the model was easier to replicate without losing its intricate details.
However, the project faced a significant setback when Jan had a bicycle accident; he lost most of the data saved on his portable drive.
Undeterred, he started over.
"After recovery, I embarked on the journey again, and eventually, a year later, I uploaded a model ready for public display," he shared.
Masterpiece Now Available to All
Jan's incredible 1:100 ATLAS model can now be found on MakerWorld.
It won second place in a physical education competition.
It 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, requiring 4 days and 6 hours of printing time, 2 kg of filament, and 644 magnets (plus some glue) for assembly – a rewarding challenge for any maker.
Projects like these are not just fun. They are valuable resources for understanding complex scientific concepts.
Plus, it's not every day you get to see a miniature version of one of the world's most iconic scientific experiments on your own desk!
Thank you, Jan, for sacrificing so many lunch breaks and free hours to make this model accessible to all of us.
Want to learn more about Bambu Lab products?
- Contact Us -
3DMart offers more than just 3D printing; we provide three major contract services: "3D Printing Service", "3D Scanning Service", and "3D Space Scanning Service" !!
Follow our fan pages for the latest news:
Facebook | Instagram | Threads
Reference