Complete Dosimetric Characterization of an In-House Manufactured SFRT Grid Collimator by 3D Printing with PLA-W Composite Filament

This study presents a comprehensive dosimetric characterization and commissioning of a grid-type collimator manufactured via 3D printing using PLA-W composite filament, following an international protocol for small-field dosimetry. PLA doped with high concentrations of tungsten (>90% <i>w</i>/<i>w</i>) enables the fabrication of miniaturized collimators (<1 cm) with complex geometries, suitable for non-conventional radiotherapy applications. However, accurate assessment of spatial dose modulation is challenged by penumbra overlap between closely spaced beamlets, limiting the application of conventional instrumentation and protocols. To address this, absolute and relative dose distributions were evaluated for various radiation field configurations (number of beamlets) in both lateral and depth directions. Measurements were performed according to the IAEA TRS-483 protocol, using micro-ionization chambers and diode detectors. Additionally, long-term stability assessments were carried out to evaluate both the structural integrity and modulation performance of the printed grid over time. Point dose measurements using the same detectors were repeated after one year, and 2D surface dose distributions measured with EBT3 films were compared to SRS MapCHECK measurements two years later. The generated radiation field size of the central beamlet (FWHM) differed by less than 0.2% (15.8 mm) from the physical projection size (15.6 mm) and the lateral transmission due simultaneous beamlets resulted in FWHM variations of less than 3.8%, confirming manufacturing precision and collimator capability. Output factor measurements increased with the number of beamlets, from 0.75 for a single beamlet to 0.82 for the full beamlets configuration. No significant changes were observed in the depth of maximum dose across the different beamlets configurations (1.20 ± 0.20 cm). On the other hand, the long-term evaluations show no relevant changes in the FWHM or VPR, confirming the performance and reliability of the system. These results support the clinical feasibility and lasting performance stability of in-house manufactured grid collimators using PLA-W filaments and accessible 3D printing technology.