ICALEPCS2013 - List of Authors (Ankner, J.F.)

Paper

Title

Page

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

759

B. Vacaliuc, G.C. Greene, A.A. Parizzi, M. Sundaram
ORNL RAD, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA
J.F. Ankner, J.F. Browning, C.E. Halbert, M.C. Hoffmann, P. Zolnierczuk
ORNL, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA

Funding: U.S. Government under contract DE-AC05-00OR22725 with UT-Battelle, LLC, which manages the Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
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.

Poster TUPPC077 [17.799 MB]

Paper	Title	Page
TUPPC077	Experiment Automation with a Robot Arm Using the Liquids Reflectometer Instrument at the Spallation Neutron Source	759
	B. Vacaliuc, G.C. Greene, A.A. Parizzi, M. Sundaram ORNL RAD, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA J.F. Ankner, J.F. Browning, C.E. Halbert, M.C. Hoffmann, P. Zolnierczuk ORNL, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA
	Funding: U.S. Government under contract DE-AC05-00OR22725 with UT-Battelle, LLC, which manages the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. 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.
	Poster TUPPC077 [17.799 MB]