Automated thermal scanning installation of nuclear track detector plates: design and preliminary results

Abstract In this paper, we explore the use of an automated thermal scanning facility aimed at searching for molecular defects in nuclear track detectors (NTDs). Our system uses a thermal camera mounted on a CNC (computer numerical control) platform to scan the entire surface of the plates under different thermal conditions. Our setup allows the control of the plate temperature and the movement of the camera on three axes. We have developed a custom software that allows the control of the camera movement, heating the pad supporting the NTD plate and acquiring images from the thermal camera. We show images captured using both, our custom software and the camera software, presenting a sequence of images taken with our custom software, aimed at covering the entire surface of the plate and another sequence taken over time on the same spot, to enhance the image quality. We also show preliminary processing of the images and discuss the results.