title: RoboDiff: combining a sample changer and goniometer for highly automated macromolecular crystallography experiments.
abstract: Automation of the mounting of cryocooled samples is now a feature of the majority of beamlines dedicated to macromolecular crystallography (MX). Robotic sample changers have been developed over many years, with the latest designs increasing capacity, reliability and speed. Here, the development of a new sample changer deployed at the ESRF beamline MASSIF-1 (ID30A-1), based on an industrial six-axis robot, is described. The device, named RoboDiff, includes a high-capacity dewar, acts as both a sample changer and a high-accuracy goniometer, and has been designed for completely unattended sample mounting and diffraction data collection. This aim has been achieved using a high level of diagnostics at all steps of the process from mounting and characterization to data collection. The RoboDiff has been in service on the fully automated endstation MASSIF-1 at the ESRF since September 2014 and, at the time of writing, has processed more than 20 000 samples completely automatically.
authors.affiliation: European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, 71 Avenue des Martyrs, CS 40220, F-38043 Grenoble, France.
authors.forename: Didier
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Nurizzo
authors.affiliation: European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Grenoble Outstation, 71 Avenue des Martyrs, CS 90181, F-38042 Grenoble, France.
authors.forename: Matthew W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Bowler
authors.affiliation: European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, 71 Avenue des Martyrs, CS 40220, F-38043 Grenoble, France.
authors.forename: Hugo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Caserotto
authors.affiliation: European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, 71 Avenue des Martyrs, CS 40220, F-38043 Grenoble, France.
authors.forename: Fabien
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Dobias
authors.affiliation: European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, 71 Avenue des Martyrs, CS 40220, F-38043 Grenoble, France.
authors.forename: Thierry
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Giraud
authors.affiliation: Unit for Virus Host Cell Interactions, Université Grenoble Alpes-EMBL-CNRS, 71 Avenue des Martyrs, CS 90181, F-38042 Grenoble, France.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Surr
authors.affiliation: European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, 71 Avenue des Martyrs, CS 40220, F-38043 Grenoble, France.
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Guichard
authors.affiliation: European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Grenoble Outstation, 71 Avenue des Martyrs, CS 90181, F-38042 Grenoble, France.
authors.forename: Gergely
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Papp
authors.affiliation: European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, 71 Avenue des Martyrs, CS 40220, F-38043 Grenoble, France.
authors.forename: Matias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Guijarro
authors.affiliation: European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, 71 Avenue des Martyrs, CS 40220, F-38043 Grenoble, France.
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mueller-Dieckmann
authors.affiliation: European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, 71 Avenue des Martyrs, CS 40220, F-38043 Grenoble, France.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Flot
authors.affiliation: European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, 71 Avenue des Martyrs, CS 40220, F-38043 Grenoble, France.
authors.forename: Sean
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: McSweeney
authors.affiliation: European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Grenoble Outstation, 71 Avenue des Martyrs, CS 90181, F-38042 Grenoble, France.
authors.forename: Florent
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cipriani
authors.affiliation: European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, 71 Avenue des Martyrs, CS 40220, F-38043 Grenoble, France.
authors.forename: Pascal
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Theveneau
authors.affiliation: European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, 71 Avenue des Martyrs, CS 40220, F-38043 Grenoble, France.
authors.forename: Gordon A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Leonard
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001407:Bacillus / Q000737:chemistry; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000737:chemistry; D002417:Cattle; D018360:Crystallography, X-Ray / Q000191:economics / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D004867:Equipment Design; D011506:Proteins / Q000737:chemistry*; D012371:Robotics; D012984:Software; D013820:Thermolysin / Q000737:chemistry; D014357:Trypsin / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D011506:Proteins; D014357:Trypsin; D013820:Thermolysin
keywords: RoboDiff; automation; goniometers; high throughput; robotics