Entering TRIUMF’s rare isotope production and experimental facilities, many visitors are struck by the industrial appearance of the lab: warehouse-sized rooms filled with hundreds of meters of shining stainless piping connecting exotically shaped metal instruments, massive specialized containers designed to keep gases in and out, and some of the world’s most finely-tuned machinery for making high-precision detections and measurements.
Much of this advanced metalwork, the nuts-and-bolts of TRIUMF physics, is the product of TRIUMF’s design and fabrication teams. Working closely with TRIUMF’s Design Office and Engineering teams, the Machine Shop team specializes in translating physicists’ visions into prototypes and one-of-a-kind experimental components. This is often an iterative process in which scientists, designers and machinists work back-and-forth to create unique components that must meet extreme tolerances for vacuum, cryogenics, and high-precision measurement.
Now, a new addition to TRIUMF's Discover Our Lab outreach site is shining a light on TRIUMF’s unique and world-leading design and fabrication capabilities, with a designated feature page and a ‘TRIUMF Spotlight’ short video to share the intrigue behind how these teams work – and how the highly specialized pieces they produce are critical to the future of TRIUMF’s science program, including as part of ARIEL.
Watch the short here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVnLJ67ieV8
The Design + Fabrication 'Divisional Spotlight' is the first in a series of several planned for the coming months. If your Division is interested in a feature like this, please reach out to the Communications team!
Explore more on Discover Our Lab: https://www.discoverourlab.triumf.ca/tour-our-lab/