Orchestration of Heterogeneous Experimental Machines via ROS2 for Automated Bulk Intermetallic Synthesis

Abstract: With advances in informatics applied to materials science, predicting the physical properties of numerous materials has become increasingly feasible, creating a growing demand for their experimental validation. It has been expected that the integration of robotic systems into experimental materials science excels at efficiently performing repetitive and time-consuming tasks without the need for human intervention, thus significantly increasing throughput and reducing the risk of human error, while there have been a limited number of reports tackled the synthesis process of solid bulk material so far possibly because of the complex as well as a wide variety of processes to deal with. In this paper, we report an automated arc melting system controlled by a robot operating system2 (ROS2). Taking advantage of ROS2, we have constructed a machine that can handle multiple experimental apparatuses simultaneously with flexibility for future expansion of functions. The constructed machine is capable of not only performing repeated operation of a specific process but also dealing with multiple elements for synthesis of intermetallic compounds. The system is expected to accelerate experimental validation of data-driven materials exploration.