Lessons learned during the development of components for NIRCam

The Near Infrared Camera (NIRCam) for the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has been developed over the last several years and during the course of development, the team of engineers has overcome several technical difficulties and discovered many things that could be improved about the design. The instrument employs a Beryllium optical bench, mounted transmissive and reflective optics, several mechanisms and the electronics to control them. This paper will discuss some of the technical issues encountered and the lessons learned as a result of them. These issues involve tapping of threads in and anodic coating of Beryllium, material interfaces within mechanisms, paints and coatings of metals, mounting of optics and general engineering practice. The issues, root causes and resolutions for problems will be presented in addition to suggestions and recommendations for future designs.