The WSS is a subsystem being designed and manufactured by the CENTRA team (Portugal) for the ESO ELT first light instrument METIS. The WSS consists of three substructures – the support system (ELP), the alignment system (CAS), and the access and maintenance system (RIG). In total, the WSS dimensions are approximately 6 × 6 × 6 meters. In order to fully assemble, integrate, and test such a large structure, an integration hall of at least 2.5 times the WSS volume would be required to accommodate the necessary lateral and vertical clearance around WSS. Such integration halls are not readily available or accessible. In order to overcome this challenge, we have devised a 3-step strategy to assemble, integrate, and test the WSS at three different locations in three different configurations.
METIS is a first light mid-infrared instrument for the new ESO/ELT telescope. It includes a cryostat with a mass of more than ten tons that must face the telescope optical beam placed 6 m above the telescope Nasmyth instrument mounting platform. To overcome this height and allow the overall alignment of the field and pupil of the entrance beam, a large size structure has been designed, analyzed and optimized and is now being manufactured. To minimize the overall mass, the beam attachments do not fit in a vertical/horizontal grid but are oblique in a 3D structure. In building this structure one needs to combine 3D CNC machined parts of reasonable dimensions with several welded structural tube structures. Due to the sizes involved, these subsystems must be manufactured accurately within an angle tolerance of 0.1 degrees, imposing challenges on the welding process. The overall approaches to the main problems, together with the structures needed for the assembly, integration and transport are discussed.
Hexapods are general solutions that provide movement with six degrees of freedom for instrument positioning, alignment, and support. In the case of the METIS instrument, the hexapod must satisfy the following stringent requirements: a) support the 11-ton weight of an instrument; b) allow alignment and provide position stability to the instrument to within a tenth of a millimeter; c) provide an adjustment range of about 20 cm; d) support the instrument allowing for accelerations of over 3 g in all directions; e) have the lowest mass possible.
Commercial linear actuators that are generally used in such cases are designed for extended movement, include a complete set of bearings that constrain each actuator lateral displacements and a sophisticated central screw that defines only the longitudinal movement. These solutions tend to be heavy and costly if roller screws are used to avoid backslash. They encompass ranges that are a major fraction of the total length and are designed for fast movement. Both these characteristics exceed the requirements of the METIS application.
We present an optimized design for the hexapod which includes a different, lightweight, sturdy, small-range, highprecision, no backslash, earthquake-proof actuator. The design of the hexapod is such that it can be used, in general, as a mass and vibration optimized solution for precision heavy instrument alignment.
This article presents the final design of the METIS/ELT warm support structure subsystem. The warm support structure provides the mechanical interface between the cryostat and the Nasmyth platform. It consists of three substructures: the elevation platform, the cryostat alignment structure (CAS), and the instrument access platform. The elevation platform is connected to the Nasmyth platform and holds the CAS. It consists of seven legs connected to three notes. The CAS is a hexapod holding the cryostat, allowing maintenance, alignment, and positioning. The instrument access platform allows human access to the cryostat, it holds the cable support system and is prepared to support the future Single Laser Adaptive Optics system. The subsystem requirements, design trade-offs, interface considerations, final design and simulation results of the substructures will be detailed as presented to the METIS Final Design Review, in 2022.
Portugal will build the warm support and access structure (WSS) to the mid-infrared, first generation ELT instrument - METIS. The particular characteristics of METIS and the ELT pose several challenges to designing the WSS according to requirements, as well challenges to the assembly and integration of the WSS. We here provide you an overview of those challenges, as well as strategies to overcome and mitigate issues related to the mass and dimensions of the WSS.
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