Engineers at the US Department of Energy’s Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) are employing a novel, cost-effective strategy to prepare for the assembly of a critical component in their cutting-edge fusion energy device.
By creating detailed 3D-printed replicas of complex magnet systems, the National Spherical Torus Experiment-Upgrade (NSTX-U) team is ensuring a smoother, faster, and less risky construction phase for a machine pivotal to the future of fusion energy.
The “star of the show,” a massive magnet bundle crucial for the NSTX-U’s mission, is currently under construction in Spain. This bundle, comprising a 19-foot toroidal field (TF) magnet and a surrounding ohmic heating (OH) coil, will produce the highest magnetic field of any large…