Manufacturing
The next sector in line
14 Sep 2020
Thanks to the experience acquired during the fabrication of the first production unit of the vacuum vessel, the Korean Domestic Agency and contractor Hyundai Heavy Industries are advancing the production of three other sectors.
The delivery of vacuum vessel sector #6 in early August was celebrated across the ITER community as the culmination of a decade-long industrial adventure. The first-of-series of any complex and unique component is always the most fraught with uncertainty and unexpected challenges.
The entire process in Korea—the careful planning, documentation, manufacturing and testing of the first ITER vacuum vessel sector—is now paying dividends as work on the next three sectors is advancing at pace due to the lessons learned. Sector #7, pictured here, is 95% complete at Hyundai Heavy Industries and will be the next sector shipped to ITER. Two other sectors are 82% and 89% finalized. Five other sectors are in fabrication in Europe.