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2026 Annual Conference
May 31–June 3, 2026
Denver, CO|Sheraton Denver
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Latest News
What’s the most difficult question you’ve been asked as a maintenance instructor?
Blye Widmar
"Where are the prints?!"
This was the final question in an onslaught of verbal feedback, comments, and critiques I received from my students back in 2019. I had two years of instructor experience and was teaching a class that had been meticulously rehearsed in preparation for an accreditation visit. I knew the training material well and transferred that knowledge effectively enough for all the students to pass the class. As we wrapped up, I asked the students how they felt about my first big system-level class, and they did not hold back.
“Why was the exam from memory when we don’t work from memory in the plant?” “Why didn’t we refer to the vendor documents?” “Why didn’t we practice more on the mock-up?” And so on.
Ethan Frey, Eduardo Marin, Grayson Lovelace, Jarrod Williams, Ragad Mohammed, Casey Kong, Fred Elsner, Wendi Sweet
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 79 | Number 7 | October 2023 | Pages 862-869
Research Article | doi.org/10.1080/15361055.2022.2151287
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
General Atomics-Carbon Hydrogen (GA-CH) and General Atomics-Carbon Deuterium (GA-CD) aerogels have applications as inertial confinement fusion (ICF) targets at the National Ignition Facility, Omega Laser Facility, and Z Pulsed Power Facility. However, fusion experiments at these facilities require the fabrication of precise geometries of aerogels, achievable only by machining. Unfortunately, machining low-density (<50 mg/cm3) GA-CH aerogels is difficult, given their fragile structure. Higher-density GA-CH aerogels, although easier to machine, are left with a small nub after machining. This work investigates filling the GA-CH gel pores with wax to increase their machinability. The wax was added by exchanging the solvent of the GA-CH gel with melted wax. In addition, 1- to 2-mm spherical voids were created within the aerogels using fused quartz beads that were leached with hydrofluoric acid. Samples were characterized for contaminants, structural damage, dopant loss, and surface roughness using size measurements, scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, micro-computed tomography imaging, and optical profilometry. Through advances in aerogel fabrication techniques, progress is made toward testing new ICF target designs.