Intelligent Goniometer Head (IGH)
Rigaku first offered a motorized goniometer head for the home lab, the Microglide, in 2004. Used both on Rigaku home lab instruments and on many synchrotron beamlines around the world, the Microglide was instrumental in changing the way cutting edge crystallography was performed. Today many beamlines operate in a hands-free way with users safely separated from the dangerous X-ray beam. The IGH has been engineered for the highest reliability, accuracy and precision with a major goal of significantly reducing the bulk compared with existing solutions. The end result is the smallest detachable motorized goniometer head on the market which gives you convenience, safety and automation possibilities with the minimum impact on data collection strategies.
Automated optical object centering
For any truly automated system, reliably getting the sample centered in the X-ray beam without user input is essential. While older approaches used basic loop centering, or scanning through the X-ray beam, the IGH uses the latest in optical image recognition techniques to detect sample holder presence, recognize the crystal and center, not just the loop, but objects found within them. This fast approach minimizes dead time and avoids use of X-rays on sensitive samples and allows unattended data collection of an entire queue of samples when used in conjunction with a sample mounting robot like the ACTOR system.
Point & click centering manual control
For a more manual approach, click on whatever you want to bring to the center of the goniometer and the IGH will move it into the beam. The IGH also allows fully manual movements for fine- tuning centering or handling more unusual cases.
Built in magnetic mount
For compatibility with commonly used sample mount standards including SPINE and ALS the IGH comes with a built in magnetic mount. Such mounts are commonly used by both small molecule and macromolecular crystallographers and automated systems such as the ACTOR system for automatic sample mounting. Conveniently, integrating the magnet also helps keep the size of the IGH to an absolute minimum.
Single or dual camera operation
Should you have an instrument supplied with dual video microscopes, the IGH is able to take advantage of both of them for faster centering without the need for rotations to get extra images. This allows centering to be completed typically within only 29 seconds. In a single camera setup, all that’s needed is a simple 90° phi rotation to get all the visual information needed.
