«Vistan» manufactured a unique machine for grinding fuel elements for nuclear power plants

February 18, Vitebsk / Sergey Kochetov - BELTA /. Vitebsk Machine-Tool Plant "Vistan" has manufactured a unique CNC grinding machine for the production of fuel elements for nuclear power plants, commissioned by the TVEL state corporation, a Russian nuclear fuel manufacturer, the enterprise informed a BELTA correspondent. The centerless grinding machine, model VSh-826M, is designed for the finish grinding of uranium pellets before they are installed in rods. Stainless steel rods form the basis of the complex structure of fuel assemblies (FAs), which is nuclear fuel. The peculiarity of the order is that the machine will be installed in special boxes to protect the operating personnel from radiation, and its repair in case of malfunctions is very problematic. Therefore, TVEL corporation has special requirements for the quality of equipment, and the Vitebsk plant managed to win the order in fierce competition with German and Spanish machine-tool manufacturers. "Vistan" has been cooperating with enterprises within the TVEL corporation since 2001, and grinding machines with the Vitebsk brand have proven themselves excellently in operation. In accordance with the concluded contract, at the customer's request, the Vitebsk machine-tool manufacturers equipped the new machine with components from leading German and American manufacturers. RUE "Vistan" is one of the oldest machine-building enterprises in Belarus and the largest manufacturer of machine tools in the CIS. The enterprise produces more than 50 basic models of automatic machines. New products account for about 40% of the production volume. The quality management system for machine tool production is certified in accordance with the ISO 9001-2001 standard.