Hexagon has announced the signing of a privileged partnership agreement with the Iter nuclear fusion research center, based in the south of France. As part of this agreement, Hexagon's Manufacturing Intelligence division will officially become Iter's main metrology supplier, as this nuclear fusion project enters the key phase of assembly. The new agreement focuses on the ongoing supply of Absolute Tracker systems, as well as the support provided by a local team of engineers associated with the Manufacturing Intelligence division. A wide range of other metrology devices are expected to fall within the scope of the new agreement, as well as solutions from other Hexagon divisions to meet the new challenges facing the world's largest fusion laboratory in the coming years.
Iter project teams are already using Hexagon metrology technology in various applications, and a large number of subcontractors from all over the world have also chosen hardware and software solutions from this supplier. This new contract formalizes the historic partnership between Hexagon and d'Iter, which dates back to the start of the project some ten years ago. The assembly phase of the Iter project will last around seven years and encompass more than a million parts, the assembly of which will require additional high-level metrological systems.
Assembling the major components of the Iter project, for example, requires precise adjustment. The Iter team achieves this with a permanently installed three-dimensional measurement system, which combines target positions and stations with precisely calculated geometries. This is the Tokamak General Coordinate System (TGCS). Spherical retroreflectors placed at these locations can be targeted with laser trackers from multiple positions, enabling subcontracted installers to use the network to align components with sub-millimetre accuracy.
"This coordinate system can be accessed anywhere in the Tokamak complex, by measuring a small number of local reference points. It's a powerful and absolutely essential tool for the installation companies".says Dave Wilson, head of the metrology group in Iter's mechanical engineering department.
Iter teams also use many of Hexagon's laser tracker technologies for component quality assurance, checking that new parts are built and manufactured to the specifications and tight tolerances required by an experimental fusion reactor. For large components, such as the lower cylinder of the cryostat, which was assessed after assembly in 2019, inspection can rely on the 3D measurement capabilities of Hexagon's Absolute Tracker, for referencing, as well as its 6D measurement functionality, involving handheld laser scanners such as the Leica Absolute Scanner LAS.
"To put it plainly, state-of-the-art laser tracker technology is a key element of the Iter project, adds Dave Wilson, Iter. The margins of error in nuclear fusion power generation are extremely narrow, and we need the best solutions for our metrology teams. Absolute Tracker systems have been a mainstay since the earliest construction work, and we are delighted to have entered into this preferred partnership agreement, because Hexagon's laser tracker technology will remain an essential component of this project. There's no doubt about that."
Established to run until 2027, the new agreement consolidates the close partnership between Hexagon and Iter, and extends the innovation-driven collaboration in nuclear research. Iter engineers will not only use the products and services of the Manufacturing Intelligence division. They will also be involved in product research, development and testing. Their skills and exacting standards will continue to drive the development of new technologies and new ways of working at Hexagon.