David E. Williamson, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, PO Box 2008, Oak Ridge, TN 37831-6483
The United States is part of an international collaboration to construct and operate ITER, an experimental device that will demonstrate the scientific and technological feasibility of fusion energy. ITER will be constructed at Cadarache, in southeastern France. One of the more challenging aspects of the project is the need to perform concurrent engineering of multiple complex mechanical systems that are to be manufactured and installed by different Partners. In order to provide a common framework for all phases of design and construction, the Project is developing a distributed Product Life Cycle Management (PLM) system for CAD data, with the capability to manage multi-group work flow and data approval within several integrated project teams. In addition, we are investigating the use of advanced collaboration technology, such as 3D immersive displays, to improve the quality of design integration activities.