Vacuum pumping in 3D
26 Jun 2009
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Robert Pearce, Vacuum Pumping Section Leader
The °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¸ßÊÖ Vacuum Group members recently met with their US colleagues in Oak Ridge in order to progress the design and routing of the 30 kilometres of vacuum piping in the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¸ßÊÖ Tokamak Complex. One option currently being trialled by the US Domestic Agency is the use of a 3D virtual reality tool to route piping through the Tokamak Complex. Viewed through glasses with different coloured lenses, the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¸ßÊÖ CAD models turned into a 3D world which could be walked through as if at a theme park. US lead vacuum engineer Walt Gardner stated that "such tools would really help in the massive amount of integration that is required."