Blocks, ribs and studs leave Indian factory

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With the completion of factory acceptance tests, the first in-wall shielding components have left the Indian manufacturing facility for shipment to the vacuum vessel manufacturers.
In India, at M/s. Avasarala Technologies Limited in Bangalore, manufacturing activities for the ITER vacuum vessel in-wall shielding are progressing.
 
The first factory acceptance tests on in-wall shielding components were carried out in June 2015; since then a total of four have been completed. These milestones open the way for shipment of the components to vacuum vessel manufacturers.
 
As part of procurement for ITER, India is responsible for manufacturing the in-wall shielding block assemblies that will be integrated into the vacuum vessel by suppliers in Europe (responsible for seven vacuum vessel sectors) and Korea (responsible for two). This includes the shield blocks themselves as well as support ribs, brackets and fasteners—some 8,000 individual components in all.
 
Factory acceptance tests have been completed for 320 shield blocks, 144 machined support rib lower bracket assemblies, 102 welded support rib lower bracket assemblies, 106 studs, and 16 platforms by a joint inspection team comprising of members from the ITER Organization, the European and Korean Domestic Agencies, and the Indian Domestic Agency.
 
As reported here, the first container of 48 support rib lower bracket assemblies has already been shipped to Korea for vacuum vessel Sector 6. Other components will ship out to the vacuum vessel manufacturers in Europe and Korea as soon as the factory acceptance test process is complete.