Abstract:The spherical fuel elements for the high temperature gascooled reactor (HTGR) are manufactured by cold isostatic molding method.In order to meet the technical requirements of the dimension and surface quality for spherical fuel elements,a special machine tool suitable for the machining of spherical fuel elements must be developed.The research and development of the special machine tools for spherical fuel elements included selection,design,calculation and optimization of machine type,the workpiece chucking method,lathe tool style,loading and unloading methods during lathing,and dust collecting apparatus.Finally the special machine tool for spherical fuel elements was successfully developed.Both the production efficiency and the dimension and surface quality of the machined spherical fuel elements by using the newly developed special machine tool satisfy the design specifications and technical requirements of spherical fuel elements for HTGR.