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ABSTRACT
The present work describes the design, manufacturing and testing of a targets manipulator system for (high) vacuum. The system is dedicated to the Extreme Light Infrastructure - Nuclear Physics (ELI-NP) project. The main driving reason is the request to provide maximum beam time for experiments, hence the need/request of loading several target frames at a time in the interaction chamber without losing the (high) vacuum. The target frames will be exposed and retracted into/from the interaction chamber individually and independently with high level of repeatability (3 microns). Up to three target frames could be used during one experiment. Several severe spatial constraints were surpassed and a new technique of moving the target frames was tailored, i.e. three axes and two planes translations. Additional constraints were faced and overcome regarding the availability of standardized sub-systems in terms of translation length and adjustment mechanisms. The project concluded with test trials in-the-house and fully commissioned at the customer site.
Keywords: vacuum, telescopic manipulator, high precision system.
1. INTRODUCTION
"ELI-NP is going to be the most advanced research facility in the world focusing on the study of photonuclear physics and its applications, comprising a very high intensity laser of two 10PW ultra-short pulse lasers and the most brilliant tuneable gamma-ray beam. This unique experimental combination will enable ELINP to tackle a wide range of research topics in fundamental physics, nuclear physics and astrophysics, and applied research in materials science, management of nuclear materials and life sciences." (HPTFS Detailed Design Report).
Therefore, the maximization of the beam time is a strong requirement. The strategy to meet this requirement was to install a High Precision Target Feeding System (HPTFS) that preserves the vacuum inside the interaction chamber. The system is required to supply up to three target frames between two successive loadlock openings.
2. CONSTRAINTS AND CONCEPTS
Since the interaction chamber was already installed and in operation, this project could be considered as an upgrade project. Having set this, the present on- site configuration placed heavy constraints on the design such as: laser beam position fixed, access points defined in terms of position size/shape, loading direction and technique, available space envelope and interfaces with both the interaction chamber and operator. Other difficulties, detailed later, regarding the available of-the-shelf components...