DEVELOPMENT OF A LARGE AREA XY STAGE FOR THE MALDI-FTMS

本子项目是利用由NIH/NCRR资助的中心赠款提供的资源的众多研究子项目之一。子项目和研究者（PI）可能已经从另一个NIH来源获得了主要资金，因此可以在其他CRISP条目中表示。列出的机构是中心的，不一定是研究者的机构。矩阵辅助激光解吸/电离（MALDI）技术目前在生物化学领域是一种成熟的技术，但是全世界只有六个小组在傅里叶变换质谱仪上研究MALDI离子源的特性——尽管有一些明显的优势（离子源与离子检测解耦，高分辨率和质量精度，tandem质谱）。新的XY平台允许以2毫米/秒的速度进行5¿x5¿运动，具有全线性和旋转索引定位，定位精度约为1微米。该工作台经过设计、制造和试验，并在真空环境下安装，其功能符合要求。大约一个月后，由于马达烧坏，一个轴停止运转，然后另一个也停止运转。目前的发展包括减少负载摩擦，改进散热片，或找到一种不同的电机，不会在真空中烧毁。经确定，造成烧坏的问题是定位系统的振荡，通过更好的调谐消除了这一问题。这个阶段的最终版本已经安装好，并且已经完美地运行了几个月。

This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization (MALDI) is now a well established technique in biochemistry, but there are only a half dozen groups worldwide that are investigating the characteristics of a MALDI ion source on a Fourier Transform Mass Spectrometer - in spite of some obvious advantages (ion source decoupled from ion detection, high resolution and mass accuracy, tandem mass spectrometry). The new XY stage allows 5¿x5¿ motion at 2 mm/sec, with full linear and rotary indexed positioning resulting in a positioning accuracy of ~1 micron. The stage has been designed, constructed, and tested on the bench and has been installed in vacuum, and it functioned to specifications. After about a month, one axis and then the other stopped as the motors burned out. Current development involves decreasing the load friction, improving the heat sinks, or finding a different motor that will not burn out in vacuum. The problem which caused the burnout was determined to be an oscillation in the positioning system, which was removed with better tuning. The final version of this stage has been installed and has been functioning flawlessly for months.