Helping the UKAEA explore Tungsten’s role in Fusion Energy Research.
Introducing Fusion Energy Research and the UK Atomic Energy Authority.
Fusion energy research is a global initiative with a clear objective: produce a commercially viable and environmentally friendly fusion energy source by the early 2040s.
A source that can produce significant and repeated volumes of clean power, all without heating the earth’s fragile atmosphere.
Naturally, the very nature of this kind of research presents a myriad of challenges, many of which are aggravated by manufacturing restrictions.
The UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) is the UK’s national fusion energy research organisation. It is an executive, non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.
This research aims to deliver sustainable fusion energy that maximises the scientific and economic benefits for the UK economy.
A crucial part of UKAEA’s work is building industrial fusion capability by informing and educating manufacturers and supply chains about the technologies required for fusion energy to be deployed at scale.
Uncovering the Challenge
Finding materials that can repeatedly withstand extremely high temperatures, radiation, and pressures within a fusion machine is a persistent challenge for fusion energy engineering.
Most materials melt or disintegrate when plasma-facing fusion reactions are initiated, as the temperatures required can reach millions of degrees Celsius. This means the need for intense heat tolerance, and rapid cooling is of paramount importance.
As part of their research, UKAEA has been experimenting with Additive Manufacturing (Metal AM) to produce components with the required durability to withstand the intense environment within a fusion energy machine.
This means UKAEA needs additive components forged from materials strong enough to withstand fusion energy’s intensity without compromising on cooling capability.
UKAEA has been researching the role that Tungsten—a rare, dense, and extraordinarily strong metal—can play in its sustainable fusion energy efforts, and how Metal AM can best be exploited.
Laser Powder Bed Fusion – The Best Foot Forward
For Roy Marshall, Head of Operations for Fabrication, Installation and Maintenance at UKAEA, the next steps were clear.
“We needed experience and support in the unique space in which we operate, and that’s hard to come by. Few Laser Powder Bed Fusion users and machine suppliers have the required knowledge of Tungsten as a material for additive fusion energy applications, and we needed partners that we could both learn from, and lean on,” he said.
After much consideration, UKAEA looked to the technical expertise and experience of Kingsbury, Additure, and Nikon SLM Solutions.
Nikon SLM Solutions has experience working with Tungsten for plasma-facing technologies, and is a trusted market leader in Laser Powder Bed Fusion.
UKAEA opted for the SLM®280 2.0 Laser Powder Bed Fusion machine, which Kingsbury and Additure installed and commissioned in July 2024.
“Kingsbury and Additure offered their support in working with UKAEA to develop additive manufacturing as a manufacturing technology for complex geometry fusion components,” said Mr. Marshall.
“UKAEA aims to develop the commercialisation of additive manufacturing and support UK industry in the transition into the fusion energy sector. We conduct complex areas of research and development to the point where it becomes commercially viable, and the advice and support of our supply chain are hugely valuable in expediting this process.[BM2] ”
Will Priest, Business Development Manager, at Additure, was delighted to be part of the initiative, and provide the UKAEA with a cutting-edge LPBF solution.
“We are excited to support the team at UKAEA as they scale, not just with the SLM®280’s LPBF capability, but with all the key elements of the AM ecosystem to make this a robust manufacturing solution for UKAEA and the UK’s fusion programme.”
Maximising Impact and Expertise
The SLM®280 2.0 is a comprehensive LPBF machine, that can support refractory metal development through production. It achieves additive component build rates up to 80% faster than single-laser configurations and, thanks to a PSM powder sieve for depowering and system cooling, ensures operator safety.
To further assist UKAEA’s ambitious efforts, Additure provided extensive SLM®280 2.0 applications training to the research, material, and design teams.
This includes definitive application training on build set-up, optimisation, and specific machine features, like the heated reduced build volume for small-volume manufacture of powder lots for quick development cycles.
“The applications training from Additure will provide our engineers with new ways to design some of the complex structures required by fusion and allow them to do this using some of the most challenging materials to work with.
“For additive manufacture to contribute to fusion energy, more designers must think, ‘What process is most suitable for the desired thermal or structural performance?’ And ‘how do I create a design that is best optimised for additive manufacture?’”, said Mr. Marshall.
This deeper technical knowledge and thought will prove invaluable and complement UKAEA’s existing expertise.