2018 | AFC ACCOMPLISHMENTS 112 TIG welding as applied to these types of designs.A new laser welder was commissioned and assembly methodology developed to support the high yield assembly campaigns required as part of the ATF-2 experiment. In addition to the laser welder for circumferential welds on the rodlets, aTIG welding system was designed, built, and deployed in order to perform the final rodlet weep hole weld.This newTIG welding system, called the Welding Under Pressure System (WUPS), proved very effective in performing the final closure weld for the fuel rodlets.WUPS allowed for rodlet internal fill gas composition and pressure to be tailored to meet programmatic requirements. These improvements in both equipment and technique resulted in a 100% yield for every fuel rodlet build campaign; that is, every weld passed requisite inspections without any rework required. Eleven more rodlets were fabricated by an industry partner and received Figure 3. ATF-2 fuel rodlet. Figure 4. Radiographic image of ATF-2 fuel rodlet.