MBE is a refined form of vacuum evaporation in which molecular beams of the constituent elements produced from effusion cells impinge upon a heated substrate to produce the required epitaxial layer. The UHV system used in this work is fitted with a sample interlock for substrate transfer and extensive cryopanelling to reduce background gas species. The system has been fully automated with computer control of cell temperatures and shutter operations enabling pre-programming of complex multilayer structures.