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News & Media

Latest ITER Newsline

  • Vacuum components | Shake, rattle, and... qualify!

    A public-private testing partnership certified that ITER's vacuum components can withstand major seismic events. Making sure the ITER tokamak will be safe in th [...]

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  • Feeders | Delivering the essentials

    Like a circle of giant syringes all pointing inward, the feeders transport and deliver the essentials to the 10,000-tonne ITER magnet system—that is, electrical [...]

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  • Image of the week | It's FAB season

    It's FAB season at ITER. Like every year since 2008, the Financial Audit Board (FAB) will proceed with a meticulous audit of the project's finances, siftin [...]

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  • Disruption mitigation | Final design review is a major step forward

    The generations of physicists, engineers, technicians and other specialists who have worked in nuclear fusion share a common goal, dedication and responsibility [...]

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  • Image of the week | Like grasping a bowl of cereal

    Contrary to the vast majority of ITER machine components, the modules that form the central solenoid cannot be lifted by way of hooks and attachments. The 110-t [...]

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Of Interest

See archived entries

ITER NEWSLINE -

Education

Make your own tokamak with 3D printing!

It's not Lego, but it is definitely "hands-on." To offer a tangible device to illustrate the workings of magnetic confinement fusion in a tokamak, the ITER Organization has worked with the Hungarian Centre for Energy Research to create a 3D-printable model for students, teachers, and "makers" around the world. The model made its first public appearance during ITER's start-of-assembly celebration on Tuesday 28 July.
 
How do giant magnets and other components fit together to make a tokamak? Thanks to Tamás Szabolics and Márton Vavrik from the Centre for Energy Research in Hungary, a simplified 3D printed model (30 cm x 30 cm) of the ITER Tokamak—1/100th of the real size—is now available for demonstrations and educational purposes ... or just because you love tokamaks! (Click to view larger version...)
How do giant magnets and other components fit together to make a tokamak? Thanks to Tamás Szabolics and Márton Vavrik from the Centre for Energy Research in Hungary, a simplified 3D printed model (30 cm x 30 cm) of the ITER Tokamak—1/100th of the real size—is now available for demonstrations and educational purposes ... or just because you love tokamaks!
Newsline readers have been following with keen interest as ITER's supersized components have been navigating the seas and reinforced roadways en route to the ITER site. Fusion enthusiasts, the tech-geek maker community, and educators routinely send requests for ideas and materials to assist in explaining the complexities of the ITER machine to students and public audiences.
Responding to these requests, the ITER Communication team worked with Tamás Szabolics and Dénes Oravecz from the Centre for Energy Research (Eötvös Loránd Research Network), who used ITER's computer CAD drawings to create a simplified model suitable for 3D printing. The model will allow users to print out each major component, to explain the functions of the various magnet systems, and to follow along with ITER's assembly over the coming years.

 
See these resources for complete instructions:
 
* A complete user guide for the 3D printing of the ITER Tokamak model v2.0 will be available soon. It will include detailed instructions, links to recommended software, and contact information for additional help.
* The 3D print files (v2.0) can be found here (updated February 2022).
* The recommended selection of plastic filaments can be found here.
* Print time estimations for each model can be found here.
* For a photographic record of what your printed components should look like, see this gallery.
* A video showing the use of the model can be seen here.

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