Prototype profile: ATLAS Phase II Screwholder
Prototyping makes up one of the key pillars of IdeaSquare. A recent prototype, started in March 2023, aims to make a screwholder for the ATLAS Phase II Upgrade on MDT detectors.
Monitored Drift Tube (MDT) detectors are the main precision tracking detectors of the muons spectrometer in ATLAS.
Name of prototype: ATLAS Phase II Screwholder
What’s the challenge?
With the upgrade requiring opening 1100 screwed covers to change the electronics inside, the prototype would speed up the process and make it more efficient. There is a limited timeframe to open the protective shield and change the electronics of all chambers.
The key objective of the prototype is to easily align each screw with the screwdriver, prevent screws from falling out, and speed up the process.
Prototype development
The screwholder will be 3D printed at IdeaSquare using the facilities. The first prototype (image 1) encountered a few challenges, with prototypers finding the screwholder hard to hold and easy to lose. The second prototype that was created (image 2) will work on improvements, making the handle easier to hold, and will include a hole to attach a string which can be attached to the person using the screwholder, facilitating the ease of use
