Atommash Modernizes Russia’s Only Megapress for Nuclear Reactors
The Atommash plant in Volgodonsk has completed a major modernization of a unique hydraulic sheet-stamping press with a 15,000-ton-force capacity.
Engineers restored the mechanical components and introduced a domestic digital control system. The upgraded complex is ready to produce components for all existing and next-generation nuclear reactor types.
A Second Life for Unique Equipment
The hydraulic sheet-stamping press was commissioned back in May 1980. With no equivalent in Russia, the equipment remains a signature asset of the Atommash plant. The press stands 25 meters high, while the maximum width of a workpiece that can be stamped reaches six meters.
The megapress is designed to straighten tube blanks and stamp heavy elliptical heads up to 325 millimeters thick. Its power allows the plant to quickly manufacture components for reactor vessels and steam generators. Every reactor installation produced by Atommash over more than half a century of Russia’s nuclear industry was manufactured using this press. Its history also includes projects that were unique for their time, such as stamping a reactor head for the VVER-TOI. The dimensions and weight of components for such projects far exceed even those of the flagship VVER-1200 units.
After more than four decades of continuous operation, the equipment’s mechanical components had worn out and required a major overhaul. Engineers did more than replace parts: They completely rethought the control architecture and turned the press into a modern smart manufacturing complex.
A Domestic Control System
The key change was the introduction of a domestic digital control system. Alongside the mechanical upgrades and hydraulic-system replacement, the complex was equipped with modern sensors and controllers manufactured in Russia.
The new sensors monitor the press in real time. They track hydraulic-cylinder pressure, the position of moving components, working-fluid temperature, and the load on the supporting structures. All the data is fed into a data-acquisition system and displayed on the operator’s screen. The digital system enables monitoring of all production processes from a single control station. The operator gets a complete picture of the megapress’s operation, while automation warns of potential problems before they occur.
The plant maintains the system on its own and adapts it to the specific requirements of its production processes. This ensures technological independence and provides long-term support for the equipment.
Automated Stamping Programs
The megapress’s digital control system includes a library of ready-to-use automated stamping programs. For each type of component, the operator selects the appropriate algorithm, and the equipment performs the entire sequence of operations automatically. The program specifies the sequence of movements, stamping force, and workpiece travel speed. Automation has significantly increased the speed of production operations. The operator oversees the process as a whole and intervenes only when parameters need to be adjusted.
Precise workpiece positioning and controlled stamping force ensure that components meet the stringent requirements of the nuclear industry. Each finished component also undergoes automated checks of its geometric parameters. The system continuously diagnoses the condition of the equipment and predicts when maintenance will be needed, allowing repairs to be scheduled and unplanned production stoppages to be avoided.
Production for All Reactor Types
The upgraded press has successfully completed testing and is fully ready for serial production of components. The plant can now manufacture components for every type of reactor installation, from operating VVER-1000 and VVER-1200 reactors to next-generation fourth-generation projects.
Atommash produces equipment not only for Russian nuclear power plants but also for overseas projects, including reactors and steam generators for the El Dabaa nuclear power plant in Egypt, Akkuyu in Turkey, Rooppur in Bangladesh, and other projects. Modernizing the press ensures stable supplies of components for all current contracts.
Restoring this unique piece of equipment strengthens the manufacturing base of Russia’s nuclear engineering industry. The plant is preserving expertise in stamping large-scale components while passing that knowledge on to new generations of engineers. Digitally transforming a historic press also demonstrates how modern IT solutions can be integrated into heavy industry.
