W0074

ACTOR – Automated Crystal Transport, Orientation and Retrieval. A. R. Criswell, J.W. Pflugrath, R. Athay, T.J. Niemeyer, T.L. Hendrixson, D. Edwards, G.K. Crane, T. Nienaber, W. Robertson, R. Shafer, Rigaku/MSC, Inc., 9009 New Trails Dr., The Woodlands, TX 77381 and Oceaneering Space Systems, 16665 Space Center Blvd., Houston, TX, 77062

A high-throughput, general purpose robotic system has been developed which transports flash-cooled crystals securely and safely, automatically mounts the crystals on most goniometers, optically centers the crystals in the X-ray beam, screens for diffraction quality, collects and processes diffraction images, recovers and stores the crystals in a liquid nitrogen dewar. The system is a refinement of the proven ACTOR system from Abbott Laboratories [1]. Magnetic crystal storage and transport magazines are designed to hold up to 60 crystals in a standard CP100 dry shipper with easy access to any of the positions. While designed for robotic use, the magazines are easy to use manually and offer significant advantages over antiquated cryovials and canes. The core of the system is a general purpose 5- or 6-axis programmable robot that allows the system to be used with virtually any goniometer axis orientation. The unique non-magnetic end-effector securely grips Hampton magnetic-base pins and places them on a _-Glide goniometer magnet without the need to move cryosystem nozzle or beam stops. Miniature motors in the _-Glide goniometer translate the crystal ±3 mm in all directions in as little as 4 _m increments. All operations are controlled by the software tool, DIRECTOR, which automates the high-throughput process of selection, centering, screening, collection and retrieval of crystals. Limited operations, such as automatic centering and goniometer control, are available through the CenterStage program. This software tool is designed for laboratories and beamlines equipped only with the µ-Glide goniometer. The ACTOR system has been optimized for high-throughput crystallography at synchrotron beamlines and in the home lab. Recent experiences and testing of the system have led to improvements to the dewar design and the end effector. In addition, fast screening methods have been developed for use at synchrotron beamlines, where exposure times may be greatly reduced compared to the home lab.

[1] Muchmore, S.W., Olson, J., Jones, R., Pan, J., Blum, M., Greer, J., Merrick, S.M., Magdalinos, P., & Nienaber, V. (2000) Structure 8, R243-R246.