Slit Change Mechanism

for the SPICE instrument of Solar Orbiter

Development and testing of a

high precision long stroke mechanism

Gabriel Paciotti

Mechanism Final Presentations Days

ESA-ESTEC, Noordwijk, March 30-31, 2017
Outline

• Introduction

• Key Challenges

• SCM design

• Performance Test Results

• Qualification Test Results

• Lessons learned

• Conclusions

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 SPICE instrument
Introduction
• EUV Imaging spectrograph
• Characterize plasma properties of
both the solar disk and the corona
• 4 interchangeable Slits
• Slit Change Mechanism

ESA’s Solar Orbiter mission Image courtesy of ESA

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Key Challenges

• Slit Positioning
– accuracies (~±10 µm / 5 arcmin)

– Repeatibilities (~± 5 µm / 25 arcsec)

• Guaranty optical cleanliness (PAC <30 PPM)

• Only solid lubrication

• Avoid optical obscuration during slit change

• Keep performances over 23’000 positioning cycles

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SCM Design - Phase B concepts

A. Linear B. Flag C. Wheel

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SCM Design – Main Components

Space qualified stepper motor

• Low power
• Reduced thickness
• High resolution (200 steps/rev)

Custom satellite roller screw

• High load / Low wear
• Compact design
• Irreversible / launch lock
• Integrate end-stops
• 5 µm/step resolution

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SCM Design – Main Components

Metallic bellows
• Contamination control

• Confinement of driving mechanism

& lubricants

High precision switch (±1 µm)

• Reset of positioning control

• Check for no motor step loss

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SCM Design – Accuracy Assessment

Tolerance Analysis results

25
20 7.5

15 4.3 5
10 4.9 6.1 15.1
5 5 5
0
Radial Runout at Radial Runout at angular Runout
Zmin [µm] Zmax [µm] [arcsec]
roller screw max runout pulsating component non-rotating components

Challenging to meet requirements

=> actuation/guiding decoupling

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SCM Design – Flexible Guiding System

Parallel flexible blades

• No sliding/wear elements
Upper Blade
Slit Wafer • Guiding precision
Slit Carrier

Lower Blade
Compliant rod connection
Compliant Rod • Minimize perturbations
Metallic Bellows

Challenge: High precision over long stroke

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SCM Design – Mechanism

146 mm

∅ 90 mm

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SCM Design – Actuation

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SCM Design – Flexible Blades

Blade design
• Ti Gr.5
• 47 X 20 mm
• 0.1 mm thick

Blade manufacturing
Photo-etching
Lesson learned:
• masking process critical
• microscope inspection required

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SCM Design – Compliant Connection

Compliant rod design

• Ti Alloy
• ∅ 0.6 mm
Manufacturing
Center-less grinding,
machining, welding
Direction Reduction
FEM based Analyses factor
X translation 2.37
Y translation 4.13
Blades system response to Rotation X 3.87
actuator input perturbations Rotation Y 2.2
Rotation Z 392

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SCM Performance – Positioning Accuracy

Challenging Requirements
• 6 Degrees of Freedom
• High accuracy (±5µm / 25arcsec)
• 4 slit positions

Challenging Environment
• 3 different temperatures
• Maintain high cleanliness
• N2 purging for bearings

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SCM Performance – Positioning Accuracy

Challenging Measurements
• Special features on Carrier
• 3x 2D lasers
• 6 DoFs measured

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SCM Tests– Qualification

Vibration and Shock Tests

• Inside a ISO5 tent
• + Bagging for cleanliness
• Vibrations:
– X: 20 gRMS
– Y: 19 gRMS
– Z: 32 gRMS
• High cross-coupling
• Local notching needed
• Shock test (dedicated facility)
– 35g (100Hz)
– 750g (>1000Hz)

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SCM Tests– Qualification

TVAC Test Results

• Tqual.Non-Op: -60°C / +75°C

• Tqual.Op : -40°C / +70°C

• Lifetime : 54’000 cycles

i.e. 594’000 bearings revs
• Factor 3 on torque at EOL

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Lessons learned – Snubbers

Analysis Reduced physical models

• Blades would fail • Particles generation
• Snubbers on Carrier • Snubbers shape opt.
• Surface coating

Solution
• No snubbers
• Double blades

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Lessons learned – Connection Rod

Design
• Compliant link
• Clamped design
• Large margin of safety

However
• Unexpected high crosstalk in
X and Y while excitation in Z
• Connection Rod slippage
• Connection Rod replaced
and glued

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Lessons learned – Position accuracy

6 DOF coupled, micron-range measurements

• Needs to be contactless
• visual access is essential – and not ideal for the Carrier
• Thermal control is essential
• Rotations/translations are coupled for the Carrier
• No existing measuring system exists (industry & academia)
• Bearings needed to have a protected environment (N2)

 Almatech developed a 6 DOF measurement system internally:

– Best 2D laser available on market (0.4µm/2µm) was selected
– Custom thermal control system was developed
– System an internal N2 overpressure
“Development and Testing of a High-Precision Position and Attitude Measuring
System for a Space Mechanism”, Proceedings of the 43rd Aerospace
Mechanisms Symposium, NASA Ames Research Center, May 4-6, 2016

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Conclusion

• Almatech designed, manufactured, assembled and

qualified a mechanism able to position slits with micron-
range accuracies over a stroke > 16mm successfully
• Pre-qualifications (lifetime) tests of bellows,
rollerscrews, connection rods, blades fatigue, …
• Several breadboards were developed and tested
• A Unique Metrology System was developed
• Substantial margin on torque were measured at EOL
• Excellent global behavior of the mechanism

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 Acknowledgements

Almatech would like address special thanks to:

• Mr Ronan Le Letty (ESA) for his support in problem solving
• RAL Team (SPICE prime) for their open-minded approach as well
as the fruitful collaboration all along the project
• PMOD Team (PI) for their availability and help, mainly during
thermal investigations on the Metrology System
• Edward A. Murphy Jr for his unsolicited contributions :
• Metrology comp. and cleaning comp. stopped their activities in the middle of the project
• Failure of the TQCM cooling circuit during FM bakeout
• Failure of the chamber cooling circuit during QM bakeout (different chamber)
• Failures of the thermal control system of TVAC test chamber… 3 times

“The greatest measure of a man is not the way he handles times of comfort
but in the way he rises through controversy and challenges” Martin Luther King

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 Acknowledgements

And of course the Almatech’s SCM Team:

N. Khanenya L. Giezendanner I. Bosic

Software engineer Design engineer Assembly Specialist

T. Gandy D. Boving E. Forzani

Product Assurance Test Engineer Project Manager

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 Slit Change Mechanism
for the SPICE instrument of Solar Orbiter

Development and testing of a

high precision long stroke mechanism

Q&A
Gabriel Paciotti

Almatech, EPFL – Innovation Park, Lausanne, Switzerland

Mechanism Final Presentations Days

ESA-ESTEC, Noordwijk, March 30-31, 2017