Manufacturing, integration, and mechanical verification of SOXS

Abstract

SOXS (Son Of X-Shooter) is a medium resolution (~4500) wide-band (0.35 -2.0 µm) spectrograph which passed the Final Design Review in 2018. The instrument is planned to be installed at the NTT in La Silla and it is mainly composed by five different optomechanical subsystems (Common Path, NIR spectrograph, UV-VIS spectrograph, Camera, and Calibration) and other mechanical subsystems (Interface flange, Platform, cable corotator, and cooling). It is currently in the procurement and integration phase. In this paper we present the post-FDR modifications in the mechanical design due to the various iterations with the manufacturers and the actual procurement status. The last part describes the strategy used to keep under control the mechanical interfaces between the subsystems.

SOXS mechanical integration and verification in Italy

“…Said Kinematic Mounts (KMs) have been aligned in Merate following the results of the alignment of the other side of the KM on the CP, UVVIS, and NIR subsystems. The results are shown in [3] but their positions will be adjusted during the integration of the various subsystem to obtain the desired coalignment between them. Other useful elements are two special holes/slots used to increase repeatability of the flange and a series of alignment bars used to facilitate the installation of the two spectrographs (the four M20 holes for the NIR spectrograph are shown while the two rails for the UV-VIS spectrograph are not, as their installation is planned for a later stage).…”

“…More information on the mechanical design can be found in [2] and [3]. The 3D model of the whole instrument can be seen in Figure 1.…”

Progress and tests on the instrument control electronics for SOXS

“…A double wheel, driven by a servo motor, drives all cables and pipes connected to the instrument [17], [18] . A dedicated control system [11] makes sure all the cables follow the instrument movement for compensating the rotation of the field.…”

Progress on the UV-VIS arm of SOXS

“…SOXS is comprised of a common path, which splits the incoming light to a UV-VIS arm (0.35 − 0.85 µm) and a NIR arm (0.8 − 2.0 µm), an acquisition camera, and a calibration unit-all of which are described in other papers in these proceedings. [3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15] The visual arm has a novel design, which was described in our previous paper. 16 The beam is divided into four bands and imaged by a single camera.…”