As recently highlighted by ITER in “Shouldering the Load” article, vacuum vessel sector #6 has completed a key transition: the transfer of its massive 440-tonne load from the overhead suspension beam to the permanent gravity support below, a delicate operation requiring exceptional stability and millimetric precision.

This first-of-its-kind operation marks a major assembly milestone for ITER and validates a key element of the revised tokamak assembly strategy. Stability clamps are now holding the sector steady until all vacuum vessel modules are installed and torus welding activities are sufficiently advanced.

SIMIC played a central role in making this possible: Starting from June 2025, the SIMIC Engineering & Technical Department successfully developed the SCS Concept Design, progressing through the completion of the Final Design in December 2025. The team also supervised the fabrication activities in Camerana (Italy), achieving the demanding delivery schedule for the first SCS set required by March 2026.

As the assembly strategy evolved toward simultaneously welding all nine sectors after landing on their gravity supports, ITER, Fusion for Energy (F4E), and SIMIC worked together to develop and qualify a new landing process and dedicated tooling.

On May 5th, 2026, the SM6 load transfer was successfully achieved thanks to the outstanding collaboration between SIMIC, CNPE, Framatome and IO teams. As highlighted by ITER, the operation proceeded smoothly, with excellent stability and perfect alignment throughout the process.

A decisive step forward for ITER, and another strong demonstration of SIMIC’s technical expertise and reliability, achieved in collaboration with CNPE Consortium.

Read more in the ITER article: https://www.iter.org/node/20687/soft-landing-giant-component