Getting involved in portable machining projects within the nuclear power sector isn’t normally a quick and simple process. The unique nature of some projects (especially in nuclear decommissioning), the safety risks involved, getting security clearance, and the lengthy tender processes can be off putting to say the least.

But for those who do win the contracts, there’s plenty of familiar opportunities from on-site machining.

Away from the nuclear reactor, the fundamentals are pretty much the same as for fossil fuel power stations. There’s steam turbines to be maintained and plenty of pipe and flange joints to be kept safe and secure. 

So for those of you unfamiliar with the nuclear power sector and thirst for knowledge, we’ve put together an A to Z of the essentials. This is to give you a very basic introduction, so if you want to know more see the websites listed at the end of the article.

Subscribers to the Portable Performance Blog will be familiar with some of our products. No doubt many of you will be regular users of at least one of our portable machines.

But apart from your usual projects, what other applications can be carried out with other Mirage machines?

Take a look at our ‘A to Z of machining applications. View our graphic which gives an overview, or read our more detailed list further down the page.

If a hot tapping machine is on your procurement list and you’d like a reminder of the key considerations, this article provides guidance to help you choose the right machine.

On-site machining challenges are often unique, which makes for an interesting life for the Project Engineer. The downside is that standard flange facing machine equipment quite often isn’t sufficient to get the job done correctly.

But before you either turn down your next flange facing job, or invest in a new product, it’s worth checking to see if any accessories can be used to convert your existing machines to suit a different purpose. In this article, we give an overview of the various accessories available to extend the capabilities of Mirage flange facing machines.

If you are an experienced field machinist, no doubt you'll have your favourite reference books and pocket guides you can turn to when either working on-site, or in the office planning your next project.

A book that contains absolutely everything the on-site machinist needs to know would be a great resource, but this is a big ask and it certainly wouldn't be ‘pocket-sized’.

Fortunately, there's plenty of great engineering resources online and the good news is many of them are completely free. So, to help you get fully equipped with extra information, we've found 6 useful websites you may want to look at and bookmark for later reference.