18
LARGE
CORPORATIONS
“Six tons positioned with clockwork precision”
Development of special tools and systems
for assembly RST Rostock
of installed components in the restricted space of the plasma
vessel using computer control systems. Several other systems
capable of holding components weighing up to 70 kilograms
and positioning them with millimeter precision in the
curved plasma vessel are used for the step-by-step upgrading
of Wendelstein 7-X. Since the vessel is now equipped with
graphite wall tiles and physical measuring instruments,
and since the assembly staff need enough space to work
within the vessel, a minimum size is high priority for the
assembly systems.
Assembly equipment, which allows alignment for all
six degrees of freedom, was necessary for mounting
the coils, ports, and in-vessel components of Wendelstein
7-X. Tight spatial requirements restricted the operation
of assembly equipment and extremely precise specifications
had to be taken into consideration. RST manufactured two
manipulators straddling the machine that could be rotated
and positioned precisely for the positioning and alignment
of the coils (up to 3.5 meters high and six tons in weight),
as well as a manipulator for the high-precision positioning
System-Technik GmbH,
Germany
Positioning device for the upgrading of
Wendelstein 7-X, underway since 2018
Robots were used to position roughly 6,000 bolts and mountings
to the inside wall of the plasma vessel.
Photo: IPP
Photos: Fanuc Robotics
RST has developed a complex manipulation technology for IPP that makes the optimal use of the available space.
These handling systems are practical, stable and achieve a precision of up to 0.5 millimeters. The contracts have
furthered significantly the construction and manufacturing expertise of the company, which enables it to become more
competitive in a specialized field. RST has acquired detailed know-how on the positioning and controlling of various
pieces of precision equipment, which can be used economically even where access and direct observation are
restricted. The acquired expertise can be applied across all industries. The aerospace industry was inspired by RST to
adopt pragmatic-technical handling concepts, which were first used at IPP, and integrated them into their own systems.
In subsequent projects, IPP has also benefited from solutions transferred from RST.