Construction at the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams continues to advance rapidly, with civil construction still 10 weeks ahead of schedule.

Marking a significant civil-construction milestone, the "topping out" occurred on 24 May, meaning the last piece of structural steel on the project was installed. Additional exterior progress includes metal-panel installation and masonry work along the southwest corner of the building, and roofing installation on the east end.

On the lower second floor, condenser water piping is ongoing in the chiller room. Block walls and structural steel are being painted at the east end, and masonry wall construction continues in that area as well. Lower second slab concrete has been poured through the east end, and total concrete placement for the project is currently 86 percent complete. Chilled water headers have been installed in the cryoplant mechanical room. On the upper second floor, fire suppression piping is ongoing. Mechanical, electrical, and plumbing hangers are also being installed on the upper sub floor. Overhead cranes have also been powered up and commissioned in several areas.

Non-conventional utilities (NCU) are at 50-percent completion, and NCU piping is proceeding on the lower subfloor of the target facility. Ductwork installation is underway in the remote-handling gallery. Underground electrical work has been completed in the cryogenic cold box area as well as for the east end of the building.

The technical divisions are carrying forward the schedule float created by civil construction, with the Advanced Room TEMperature Ion Source (ARTEMIS) set in place in April. It marked the installation of FRIB’s first accelerator component.

Additionally, three of six helium compressors have been placed, including two 2,500-horsepower compressors, and one 1,000-horsepower compressor. The compressors are a component in the helium system, which processes the helium so that it can be superconducting when it reaches the beamline. The remaining three compressors will be installed in the near future. Additionally, coalescer tanks are now being delivered and installed. The coalescer tanks will be used to eliminate impurities in the helium used for the compressors.