Winding machines for the manufacturing of superconductive coils of the main European fusion research machines

The successful construction of large magnets passes through the development and application of non-conventional manufacturing processes. A difficult and delicate step in the manufacturing of superconducting coils is the conductor winding technique. It is often a challenging and technologically advanced process, developed according to the requirements of each project. An important aspect during the winding is to avoid any deformation of the cable cross section leading to a damage of the strands and to maintain the design features of the cable. A second aspect is to assure the suitable repeatability and a production rate for an industrial process. The winding line is a system of different machines linked and tuned together properly designed for each project. An adapted software assures the overall process control. TPA realized for ANSALDO Superconduttori the winding lines for many projects: TFMC (NET-TEAM), CMS (INFN-CERN), WENDELSTEIN W7-X (Max Planck Institute, IPP), etc. The experience acquired in this field by ANSALDO Superconduttori and by TPA (as manufacturing tools and equipments supplier) has been acknowledged by CERN with 'The CMS Gold Award' of the Year 2004. The paper describes the main features of the winding lines, the main problems, the technical solutions used for the above mentioned projects and the new ideas for the forthcoming ones