A helping hand

A newly installed robot inside a glovebox at Los Alamos National Laboratory’s Plutonium Facility is programmed to remove surface impurities from plutonium parts used in nuclear weapon cores, or pits. The robot, affectionately named APPA (Automated Plutonium Part Abrasion), came online this summer after a rigorous safety evaluation and approval process. Its use marks the first instance of robotic automation in the pit production process.

“This is a first of its kind for us,” says Pit Technologies Assembly Operations group leader Iris Molina. “We’re excited because it gives us the ability to let the robot do the work without constant hands-on production by operators. Employees won’t have their hands in gloveboxes for hours on end anymore. You just set the program and let the robot run.” She notes, however, that employees will always be at the controls, monitoring the robot and intervening if necessary.

Molina explains that APPA is really a robotic arm that holds a part in place. “It’s programmed to manipulate and move the part as needed,” she says. “There’s a tool on the end of the robotic arm that does the surface cleaning.”

APPA helps keep employee radiation exposure as low as reasonably achievable. Employees have an annual dose limit of 2,000 millirem, which is stricter than federal policy, and few ever get close to it. Nonetheless, reducing that exposure is a constant goal.

Even with the support of robotic equipment, employees are necessary to maintain and program APPA. The group members share this responsibility. “Nothing this cool gets done by just one person,” says Pit Technologies Assembly Operations deputy group leader Brian O’Neil. “We all worked together with real team camaraderie right from the start.” ★