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Quest for clean energy  |  Control over quality  |  ITER solutions used

How quality supports the quest for clean energy

Over the centuries, there have been numerous experiments that have found their way into the shared consciousness: Foucault’s pendulum; Doppler’s trumpets, Volta’s battery, and many others.

In terms of scale and impact, there is an experiment under construction in the South of France that could eclipse them all: ITER, the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor. The project started in 2006 and works began in 2010 with the with the grandest of objectives – to harness the power of nuclear fusion, the same energy source that fuels the sun.

Its potential, if successful, would truly mark a new energy era for our planet. But to say the least, there are challenges ahead. To achieve success, the experiment must create an environment far hotter than the core of the Sun, which will generate a plasma and allow hydrogen isotopes, deuterium and tritium, to fuse and form helium. In doing so it will release large amounts of energy; hopefully many times more energy than was put into the process.

As you can imagine, this type of experiment involves a great deal more work to conduct than to conceive. Making a star on Earth requires a totally unprecedented level of skill and precision, but at the end of this colossal undertaking is the opportunity to harvest abundant safe, sustainable power to improve quality of life for everyone on the planet.

Alain Becoulet, the chief scientist at ITER, sums up the magnitude of this vision: “Quality of life depends on energy. And yet energy is one of the greatest challenges we face. We need cleaner, more efficient and more reliable energy than any other source. To make that a reality, we are creating a sun here on planet Earth.” 

Hexagon is our preferred supplier for metrology. We’ve had great support and a vast amount of capability.”
David Wilson
Metrology Principal Engineer, ITER Organisation

Beatrice Alix continues: “The Hexagon metrology equipment we use ranges from probing systems to scanning devices on the large volume side and handheld scanners for more close-up areas of the components.”

With hardware and software that can be completely trusted, the team has a chance of capturing non-conformities as early as possible during the process. The later these issues become evident, the bigger the problems and the bigger the cost to the project.

$15.8 M
cost of an F1 car

€128 M
team spending cap per season

1/10
of a second can determine a victory

20,000
updates to the car per season

400 GB
data gathered per race

50%
fewer faults in two years

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Time to read: 4 minutes

A championship spirit  |  The challenger culture  |  Making a legendary car  |  Right the first time  |  Looking to the future

How quality supports the quest for clean energy

Over the centuries, there have been numerous experiments that have found their way into the shared consciousness: Foucault’s pendulum; Doppler’s trumpets, Volta’s battery, and many others.

 
In terms of scale and impact, there is an experiment under construction in the South of France that could eclipse them all: ITER, the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor. Work started in 2007 with the grandest of objectives – to harness the power of nuclear fusion, the same energy source that fuels the sun.

 
Its potential, if successful, would truly mark a new energy era for our planet. But to say the least, there are challenges ahead. To achieve success, the experiment must create an environment far hotter than the core of the Sun, which will generate a plasma and allow hydrogen isotopes, deuterium and tritium, to fuse and form helium. In doing so it will release large amounts of energy; hopefully many times more energy than was put into the process.

As you can imagine, this type of experiment involves a great deal more work to conduct than to conceive. Making a star on Earth requires a totally unprecedented level of skill and precision, but at the end of this colossal undertaking is the opportunity to harvest abundant safe, sustainable power to improve quality of life for everyone on the planet. 

Alain Becoulet, the chief scientist at ITER, sums up the magnitude of this vision:  “Quality of life depends on energy. And yet energy is one of the greatest challenges we face. We need cleaner, more efficient and more reliable energy than any other source. To make that a reality, we are creating a sun here on planet Earth.”

Enhancing quality of life with cleaner energy

The availability of fusion energy could transform access to energy, providing an equitable solution to energy distribution challenges and helping to lift communities out of energy poverty.

Fusion energy offers several major advantages over traditional nuclear fission and fossil fuels. Unlike fission, fusion does not produce highly radioactive, long-lived waste, and it does not carry the meltdown risk. As Alain Becoulet explains: "The advantage between fission and fusion is that with fusion you cannot have a chain reaction and it cannot go out of control."

In addition, the fuel used - isotopes of hydrogen like deuterium and tritium - is abundant and widely distributed across the planet. This abundance, coupled with the minimal environmental impact of fusion, makes it an attractive energy solution for the future and this is why the experiment at ITER is so important for everyone on the planet.

A crucial next few years

The team at ITER expect initial operations to start in the mid 2030s, so all eyes will be on the project over the coming years. Every detail will need to be perfect; every millimetre alignment and interface, to ensure successful operation.

With Hexagon’s mastery of measurement and unique hardware and software portfolio, together we can build towards a more sustainable future by accelerating innovation in energy sources, to shape a better reality and improve quality of life for all.

Discover more about the solutions used at OHB

Quality is not simply a nice-to-have, it’s absolutely a must-have”
Alain Becoulet
Chief Scientist, ITER Organisation

Tokamak weight  

Magnet alignment

1mm

23,000

tonnes

Conductor tolerance

microns

100

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The OHB story at a glance

cameras must align perfectly for PLATO

The distance from which PLATO can study the diameter of a dime

The amount of g-force components must endure

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OHB  |  The Plato mission  |  The search goes on

Are we alone in the universe?

This question has been pondered upon by humans for thousands of years. But are we any closer to finding the answer?
 
The search for extra-terrestrial lifeforms has been the focus for much of our space endeavour during the 20th and 21st centuries. But it is simply not possible to send people into space to do the searching. Instead, we rely heavily on incredibly sensitive equipment that is able to detect the subtle variations that reveal the types of environments existing on planets within and beyond our solar system.
 
The fact we are here at all means we know for sure that rocky planets with liquid water are able to support organic life. So these qualities are high on the list of signals to search for.

The challenge in building satellites is that we typically build only 1 or 2 of them, and they need to work the first time and throughout the entire mission.”
Bernhard Sang - Chief Engineer, Optical Missions & Instruments, OHB System

OHB System AG

At the forefront of this search for extra-terrestrial life is OHB System AG, a leading European space engineering company specialising in satellites and space systems. The projects OHB supports with its expertise of more than 40 years bring improvements to a wide range of stakeholders, from weather forecasting, to precision agriculture, to civil security. To achieve this, OHB requires absolute precision in its processes, particularly in areas such as optics and assembly.

"Quality is not simply a nice-to-have, it’s absolutely a must-have."

Alain Becoulet, Chief Scientist, ITER Organisation

With Hexagon, we found the ideal partner. It's just a phone call, and then we have the right team supporting us.”
Dr Axel Müller – Senior Expert, Quality Control, OHB System

The search goes on

One of the universal truths of space exploration is that it takes an enormous amount of collaboration to achieve successful missions. This is vital because the unique demands of space-grade manufacturing requires adaptability, trust in data and different departments working together with unity and precision.
 
As shown by OHB, quality drives every decision made in space technology manufacturing. There is simply no room for error as the extreme environments endured by every component will put pressure on any flaw or misalignment.
Together, OHB and Hexagon’s commitment to quality ensures that humanity can continue to explore the deep universe and find the answer to that fundamental question of whether we are alone or part of a web more vast than we can possibly comprehend.
 

Sub-micron shims are used to align components

1 million stars will be observed

Conditions vary from +150 °C to -150 °C

Embed quality in your operation

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The PLATO mission

One of OHB’s key projects is PLATO, a planet-hunting satellite designed to detect rocky, water-bearing Earth-like planets capable of supporting life. Equipped with 26 cameras, PLATO will study stars and their planets in precise detail while orbiting the Second Sun–Earth Lagrange point (L2). The manufacturing of PLATO requires highly exacting, micron-level precision to ensure it is fully capable of detecting minuscule dips in starlight;  the indicators of planets transiting their stars.
 
Choosing Hexagon as their preferred supplier of metrology solutions has given the team the assurance that they are utilising the most accurate technology available on the market to achieve their objectives. OHB use Hexagon’s laser trackers, coordinate measuring machines (CMMs) and software.

OHB faced several challenges during the PLATO project, particularly the micron-level accuracy required while protecting against the harsh conditions of space, such as extremes of temperature (-150°C to +150°C) and high launch accelerations (up to 50G). On top of this was the need for clean room conditions to prevent contamination of any optics.  Working in collaboration with OHB, Hexagon were able to modify the CMM to operate within an ISO5 clean room for measurement of the PLATO system, ensuring all components, even the grease used, had no negative impact on the cleanliness of the environment.
 
With the PLATO project, one of the major challenges is the camera alignment, which must be perfect. The alignment is performed using Hexagon’s laser trackers, while Hexagon’s CMMs supported the process by measuring sub-micrometer shims which are introduced to the system until perfect alignment is reached.
 
As part of this project, non-destructive testing software solutions from Hexagon helped optimise soldering processes and predict material wear which contribute to overall operational reliability. The software makes it possible to see the evolution of any solder cracks, so the team can optimise the soldering process and avoid the cracks starting in the first place. With the extreme conditions and extremely tight tolerances, solutions such as these are critical for improved system durability.

The Mars rover project, part of the ExoMars mission, also presented significant engineering challenges, particularly with the development of the crushing station designed to detect life on Mars within its rocks. This device drills into the Martian surface, collects samples, and processes them into powder for onboard analysis. One major challenge was ensuring the crushing station could withstand the intense wear and tear and forces involved. Traditional testing methods involve disassembling components like gearboxes, however, the disassembly process makes accurate insights impossible to achieve.
 
OHB resolved these issues by employing non-destructive testing using Hexagon’s VGSTUDIO MAX software. This technology allowed them to assess wear and damage without disassembly. Additionally, computed tomography was used to monitor and optimise the soldering of electronics, addressing potential damage from thermal expansion and contraction in space.

The OHB story at a glance

cameras must align perfectly for PLATO

The distance from which PLATO can study the diameter of a dime

The amount of g-force components must endure

Jump to:

OHB  |  

Are we alone in the universe?

This question has been pondered upon by humans for thousands of years. But are we any closer to finding the answer?
 
The search for extra-terrestrial lifeforms has been the focus for much of our space endeavour during the 20th and 21st centuries. But it is simply not possible to send people into space to do the searching. Instead, we rely heavily on incredibly sensitive equipment that is able to detect the subtle variations that reveal the types of environments existing on planets within and beyond our solar system.
 
The fact we are here at all means we know for sure that rocky planets with liquid water are able to support organic life. So these qualities are high on the list of signals to search for.

"The challenge in building satellites is that we typically build only 1 or 2 of them, and they need to work the first time and throughout the entire mission."
Bernhard Sang - Chief Engineer, Optical Missions & Instruments, OHB System AG

OHB System AG

At the forefront of this search for extra-terrestrial life is OHB, a leading European space engineering company specialising in satellites and space systems. The projects OHB supports with its expertise of more than 40 years bring improvements to a wide range of stakeholders, from weather forecasting, to precision agriculture, to civil security. To achieve this, OHB requires absolute precision in its processes, particularly in areas such as optics and assembly.

"Quality is not simply a nice-to-have, it’s absolutely a must-have."

Alain Becoulet, Chief Scientist, ITER Organisation

The PLATO mission

One of OHB’s key projects is PLATO, a planet-hunting satellite designed to detect rocky, water-bearing Earth-like planets capable of supporting life. Equipped with 26 cameras, PLATO will study stars and their planets in precise detail while orbiting the Second Sun–Earth Lagrange point (L2). The manufacturing of PLATO requires highly exacting, micron-level precision to ensure it is fully capable of detecting minuscule dips in starlight;  the indicators of planets transiting their stars.
 
Choosing Hexagon as their preferred supplier of metrology solutions has given the team the assurance that they are utilising the most accurate technology available on the market to achieve their objectives. OHB use Hexagon’s laser trackers, coordinate measuring machines (CMMs) and software.

OHB faced several challenges during the PLATO project, particularly the micron-level accuracy required while protecting against the harsh conditions of space, such as extremes of temperature (-150°C to +150°C) and high launch accelerations (up to 50G). On top of this was the need for clean room conditions to prevent contamination of any optics.  Working in collaboration with OHB, Hexagon were able to modify the CMM to operate within an ISO5 clean room for measurement of the PLATO system, ensuring all components, even the grease used, had no negative impact on the cleanliness of the environment.
 
With the PLATO project, one of the major challenges is the camera alignment, which must be perfect. The alignment is performed using Hexagon’s laser trackers, while Hexagon’s CMMs supported the process by measuring sub-micrometer shims which are introduced to the system until perfect alignment is reached.
 
As part of this project, non-destructive testing software solutions from Hexagon helped optimise soldering processes and predict material wear which contribute to overall operational reliability. The software makes it possible to see the evolution of any solder cracks, so the team can optimise the soldering process and avoid the cracks starting in the first place. With the extreme conditions and extremely tight tolerances, solutions such as these are critical for improved system durability.

Discover more about the solutions used at OHB

Embed quality in your operation

Learn more

Learn more

Learn more

Hexagon’s SpatialAnalyzer metrology software is a powerful yet easy-to-use tool perfect for the analysis of large-scale applications, helping to improve measurement and inspection efficiencies.

SpatialAnalyzer

Hexagon’s flagship 3D scanning sensor gives the team at ITER the precision scan data they need and offers both simple usability and high-productivity non-contact 3D measurement.

Absolute Scanner AS1

Discover more about the solutions used at ITER to build the experimental reactor.

The team at ITER leverages a wide range of Hexagon’s metrology portfolio including laser trackers, scanners, probes and software to ensure all components fit perfectly.

Laser tracker systems

A long-term standard in industrial metrology: Laser tracker systems lead the field in terms of the accuracy, reliability and durability of portable coordinate measuring machines.

"With Hexagon, we found the ideal partner. It's just a phone call, and then we have the right team supporting us."
Dr Axel Müller – Senior Expert, Quality Control, OHB System AG 

The Mars rover project, part of the ExoMars mission, also presented significant engineering challenges, particularly with the development of the crushing station designed to detect life on Mars within its rocks. This device drills into the Martian surface, collects samples, and processes them into powder for onboard analysis. One major challenge was ensuring the crushing station could withstand the intense wear and tear and forces involved. Traditional testing methods involve disassembling components like gearboxes, however, the disassembly process makes accurate insights impossible to achieve.
 
OHB resolved these issues by employing non-destructive testing using Hexagon’s VGSTUDIO MAX software. This technology allowed them to assess wear and damage without disassembly. Additionally, computed tomography was used to monitor and optimise the soldering of electronics, addressing potential damage from thermal expansion and contraction in space.

The search goes on

One of the universal truths of space exploration is that it takes an enormous amount of collaboration to achieve successful missions. This is vital because the unique demands of space-grade manufacturing requires adaptability, trust in data and different departments working together with unity and precision.
 
As shown by OHB, quality drives every decision made in space technology manufacturing. There is simply no room for error as the extreme environments endured by every component will put pressure on any flaw or misalignment.
Together, OHB and Hexagon’s commitment to quality ensures that humanity can continue to explore the deep universe and find the answer to that fundamental question of whether we are alone or part of a web more vast than we can possibly comprehend.
 

Sub-micron shims are used to align components

1 million stars will be observed

Conditions vary from +150 °C to -150 °C

The search goes on

The Plato mission  | 

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