Transfer rod bayonet misaligned

The bayonet system on the transfer rod consists of two coaxial parts with slits where the corresponding flag of the sample holder is inserted. Normal lock/unlock operation sequence is push → 90° rotate → release.




Nevertheless, sometimes after detaching the sample holder the internal part remains slightly incorrectly rotated so both slits are not parallel, see photos and models below (internal slit red, external slit blue). If this happens the flag of the sample holder does not want to enter the internal slit anymore so the sample holder cannot be grabbed out of the manipulator. The incorrect rotation of the internal part can be seen through the CF100 viewport on the analysis chamber, opposite to the transfer rod, while setting the x axis to some lower value (5-15 mm).




Luckily, the misalignment is rarely so bad that it would be necessary to vent the load lock to readjust the internal mechanism in air to properly align both slits. In most of the cases the possible correction procedure is to check the direction through the mentioned viewport and try to grab the sample holder flag with the transfer rod slightly rotated in order to have the internal slit vertical. If the misalignment is not huge, the sample holder flag can still successfully enter both slits.