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May 31–June 3, 2026
Denver, CO|Sheraton Denver
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Latest News
What’s the most difficult question you’ve been asked as a maintenance instructor?
Blye Widmar
"Where are the prints?!"
This was the final question in an onslaught of verbal feedback, comments, and critiques I received from my students back in 2019. I had two years of instructor experience and was teaching a class that had been meticulously rehearsed in preparation for an accreditation visit. I knew the training material well and transferred that knowledge effectively enough for all the students to pass the class. As we wrapped up, I asked the students how they felt about my first big system-level class, and they did not hold back.
“Why was the exam from memory when we don’t work from memory in the plant?” “Why didn’t we refer to the vendor documents?” “Why didn’t we practice more on the mock-up?” And so on.
Claudia M. Shuldberg, Michael E. Schoff, Hongwei Xu, Noel L. Alfonso, Erwin Castillo, Jay W. Crippen, Martin L. Hoppe Sr., Michael P. Farrell
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 70 | Number 2 | August-September 2016 | Pages 164-172
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/FST15-231
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The fabrication of three multilayer Omega-scale capsule designs with combinations of materials such as beryllium, silicon, tungsten, and copper were evaluated as part of the fabrication and delivery process. These opaque capsule designs presented characterization challenges in that nominal optical characterization techniques for Omega-scale designs were not sufficient to fully characterize the capsules. Alternate techniques such as X-ray fluorescence, radiography, scanning electron microscopy, and spectroscopy needed to be utilized in order to characterize these capsule designs. Additionally, the permeability of each material varies; therefore, each capsule design required a different approach to fill the capsule for the experiment. Three techniques were used to deliver gas-filled capsules to the experimental teams: (a) filling through the drill hole, sealing with glue under pressure, and minimizing the glue mass using laser ablation; (b) attaching a capsule fill tube assembly into the drill hole; and (c) gas permeation through the wall. The issues encountered with these techniques and their solutions are presented.