"Vistan" will manufacture a unique grinding machine for a Russian nuclear fuel production company

September 3, Vitebsk / Sergey Kochetov - BELTA/. Vitebsk Machine-Tool Plant "Vistan" will manufacture a unique CNC grinding machine for the production of fuel elements for nuclear power plants, commissioned by the Russian state corporation "TVEL," a nuclear fuel producer, the enterprise informed a BELTA correspondent. In accordance with the concluded contract, Vitebsk machine-tool builders will manufacture and supply a centerless grinding machine, model VSh-826M, to one of the corporation's plants in 2009. The machine is designed for the finish grinding of uranium pellets before they are installed into rods. Stainless steel rods are the main component of the complex structure of fuel assemblies (FA), 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, specialists explained. Therefore, the "TVEL" corporation has special requirements for the quality of the equipment. Vitebsk managed to win the order in fierce competition with German and Spanish machine-tool builders. "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, the plant noted. In addition, "Vistan" will equip the new machine with components from leading German and American manufacturers; this is one of the contract conditions. RUE "Vistan" is one of the oldest machine-building enterprises in Belarus and the largest manufacturer of machine-tool products 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. -0-