Software tool solutions for the design of W7-X

As an international research facility, the W7-X project hosts many types of components designed not only by the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics (IPP) teams, but also by external partners. At IPP the Design Engineering (DE) division is responsible for design and spatial integration of all the components within the Torus Hall. Two software tools, interfacing with Computer Aided Design (CAD) models, have been developed in-house to assist in the design and installation of components of W7-X. The first, the Digital MockUp (DMU) is a full scale 3D graphical representation of W7-X generated by a Python script using CATIA and information from the Product Data Management system (PDM), SmarTeam. The second, the Collision Analysis Report (CAR) is an Excel table listing the critical distances between a selection of components and their surroundings using the DMU and SmarTeam. SmarTeam along with the DMU and the CAR reduces the risk of design iteration, increases the efficiency of the designers and promotes the communication within the project teams.