With over 75 years of experience, Y-12 machining has been (and remains to be) one of Y-12’s core capabilities. However, over those 75 years a lot has changed in the machining world. There is new equipment, new technology, and new operating and safety standards. One of the challenges faced by the Y-12 site is updating our machining capabilities in our unique operating environment. This paper provides the background, challenges, and results of a project that updated Y-12’s machining capability for special materials. The project effort updated an older, open T-based lathe operation with a newer, enclosed lathe operation with additional machining abilities. Moving from an open lathe to an enclosed lathe represents a number of changes and challenges including material cutting changes, material waste handling, equipment access, and operational modifications. Additionally, the lathe needed to be designed specifically for material controls, accountability, and the unique safety and environmental hazards associated with a Category 2 Nuclear Facility. Overcoming these operational and design challenges has cleared a path for future machining capability updates and upgrades in other facilities at Y-12.
Year
2022
Abstract