Experiment Automation with a Robot Arm using the Liquids Reflectometer Instrument at the Spallation Neutron Source

Conference · Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 2013

OSTI ID:1156711

Zolnierczuk, Piotr A ^[1]; Vacaliuc, Bogdan ^[1]; Sundaram, Madhan ^[1]; Parizzi, Andre A ^[1]; Halbert, Candice E ^[1]; Hoffmann, Michael C ^[1]; Greene, Gayle C ^[1]; Browning, Jim ^[1]; Ankner, John Francis ^[1]

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1. ORNL

The Liquids Reflectometer instrument installed at the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) enables observations of chemical kinetics, solid-state reactions and phase-transitions of thin film materials at both solid and liquid surfaces. Effective measurement of these behaviors requires each sample to be calibrated dynamically using the neutron beam and the data acquisition system in a feedback loop. Since the SNS is an intense neutron source, the time needed to perform the measurement can be the same as the alignment process, leading to a labor-intensive operation that is exhausting to users. An update to the instrument control system, completed in March 2013, implemented the key features of automated sample alignment and robot-driven sample management, allowing for unattended operation over extended periods, lasting as long as 20 hours. We present a case study of the effort, detailing the mechanical, electrical and software modifications that were made as well as the lessons learned during the integration, verification and testing process.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States). Spallation Neutron Source (SNS)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Science (SC)
• DOE Contract Number: AC05-00OR22725
• OSTI ID: 1156711
• Resource Relation: Conference: 14th International Conference on Accelerator & Large Experimental Physics Control Systems, San Fransisco, CA, USA, 20131007, 20131011
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

robotics
automated alignment
unattended operation
instrumentation control system
python
sample environment