Speaker
Description
The Remote Handling System (RHS) of the RFX experiment has been in operation since 1991. Subsequently, following major upgrades to the toroidal assembly and power supply systems, RFX-mod began operation in 2004, while the original RHS remained essentially unchanged.
Thanks to funding obtained within the framework of the NEFERTARI project under the Italian National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), a new project was launched to design and construct an upgraded Remote Handling System intended to support the experimental activities of RFX-mod2.
The first step of the work package focused on a detailed analysis of the previous Remote Handling System to identify its strengths and limitations. Based on this analysis, a new kinematic architecture was developed in collaboration with the Naples research unit under the direction of Prof. Di Gironimo. The first section of the arm is largely similar to the previous design, while a novel elbow joint was introduced to address issues related to stiffness and backlash. In addition, the transporter arm was also redesigned and updated.
The second phase of the work focused on defining an appropriate control architecture for the motors of the new remote handling system. In particular, a simple Human–Machine Interface (HMI) was developed using a touchscreen display directly connected to the machine controller.
To support the development of control architecture, a dedicated test facility was designed and several electrical motors and devices were acquired. In particular, a robotic arm controlled by the same control system as the new remote handling system was installed, together with a precision measurement device used to evaluate positioning accuracy and to calibrate the kinematics of both the robotic arm and the remote handling system.