Flexible Receiver Coil Using Direct-3D-Write Technology at 0.55T

Motivation: MRI receiver coils are often rigid thus cannot conform to every anatomy. This motivates to create flexible, robust, and easy to manufacture coils. Goal(s): To create scalable and low-cost MRI coils using direct-3D-writing. The coils should conform to different anatomies and be robust to bending and stretching. Approach: We utilize a fast direct-3D-write method (~8 minutes print time per coil) that uses an easy to modify coil model, and compare performance against a rigid copper coil at 0.55 Tesla. Results: The flexible printed coil provided 1.8 times higher SNR compared to the reference copper coil due to better form-fitting. Impact: MRI receiver coils, printed with the direct-3D-write method, can be made flexible to conform to imaging anatomy, while offering scalability and lower cost. This simplifies manufacturing and improves SNR due to better form-fitting.