Permanent magnet assembly tooling for the 8 GeV transfer line and recycler ring at Fermilab

Magnets for the beam transfer line between the Fermilab Booster and Main Injector and the Recycler antiproton storage ring are constructed using permanent magnet ferrite bricks surrounding a steel pole and housed inside a steel flux return shell. The transfer line consists of 51 dipoles, 67 gradient magnets, and 8 quadrupoles. The Recycler ring consists of approximately 350 gradient magnets and 60 quadrupoles. Positioning and handling large steel plates lined with magnetized ferrite bricks pose several challenges to the design of assembly tooling. Large attractive forces between mating magnet subassemblies must be controlled in order to minimize personnel hazards. Positioning of subassemblies must be precise to allow insertion of mechanical fasteners and to maintain consistent magnetic performance in all similar magnets and provisions must be made for magnet disassembly in the event that repairs or adjustments are indicated by magnetic measurements. This paper describes and illustrates the assembly tooling designed and fabricated to facilitate construction of all of the nearly 500 dipole and gradient magnet assemblies in the 8 GeV beam transfer line and Recycler ring.