Vane Fabrication for the Proof-of-Principle Radio-Frequency Quadrupole Accelerator

The electrodes for the Proof-of-Principle (POP) Radio-Frequency Quadrupole (RFQ) accelerator were machined on a numerically controlled, three-axis, vertical mill. These pole tips, or vanes, were prepared for, and used, in the successful demonstration of RFQ practicality at Los Alamos National Laboratory in February, 1980. The data set that described the vanes contained about 10 million bits of tool position data. The vanes were cut from OFHC copper blanks. The tolerances achieved were approximately ± 0.005 cm. The design and manufacturing procedures are described.