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Workbench for the manufacture of
aluminium reservoirs for the 1st stage
of the Ariane 5 rocket
APCO Technologies SA has developed, manufactured and installed the equipment allowing the manufacture of aluminium tanks for the hydrogen-oxygen H 150 reservoir of the Ariane 5 first stage.
AR5 cryogenic tank automatic
machining and welding |
Schematic showing the AR5 cryogenic tank
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The contract called for the supply of a complete and ready installation fixed on a Turntable allowing the manufacture of a finished product (tanks), answering to the very strict specifications required when dealing with volatile material.
Apart from the specific technical problems connected with the equipment itself, it was above all the requirements for clarification of various points on site which were the main difficulties of the project.
The tanks leaving our installation have an external diameter of 5410 mm and a length of 2799 mm. The thickness of the panels ranges from 4.2 mm to 7.5 mm. Various manufacturing methods have to be employed to create this type of tank.
The demand for dimensional accuracy is extreme, particularly with the external diameter which is limited to 0.6 mm on 5410 mm. This is especially difficult in view of the panel thickness of the only 4.2 and 7.5 mm.
The tanks, once completed, are marked and accompanied by various inspection certificates which attest to the quality of the work and allow the acceptance and traceability of every piece.
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APCO Technologies SA has contributed with the design, manufacture and test of different hardware, such as:
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Ariane 5 reservoirs Workbench
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