The Department of Energy's (DOE) Oak Ridge and Idaho national laboratories announced a collaboration to expand the domestic supply chain of industrial pressure vessels. Together, the labs will help enable wire arc 3D printing of these large components, which are critical for energy-related industries and capable of reliably withstanding harsh service conditions. The initiative boosts the rapid expansion of U.S. nuclear manufacturing capabilities.
The labs announced the collaboration Aug. 19 at Materials and Manufacturing Innovation Days (M2IND). M2IND was an Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) event where industry, government and research community leaders discuss advancements in AI-enabled manufacturing, nuclear infrastructure, increased U.S. competitiveness, energy security and domestic supply chains. The event included demonstrations and tours of user facilities such as DOE’s Manufacturing Demonstration Facility (MDF), the nation’s only large-scale, open-access research institution for early-stage advanced manufacturing technologies to be deployed by industry.
Pressure vessels operate under extreme conditions and require extraordinary toughness and structural integrity. They are made from forging, but limited domestic capacity poses a supply challenge as the U.S. works to rapidly expand its nuclear energy portfolio. Wire arc additive manufacturing, which 3D prints components with molten metal wire, may diversify manufacturing options to enable a domestic supply chain.
The labs will help industry develop this process by leveraging expertise in additive manufacturing and real-time accuracy monitoring, parts qualification and nuclear material properties and their long-term performance.
As the nation’s lead laboratory for nuclear energy research and development, the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) has decades of experience designing, developing, testing and deploying components and manufacturing technologies for nuclear reactors. INL’s work accelerates rapid advances in nuclear fission systems, including several recent advanced reactor criticality achievements and the agentic AI-focused Genesis Mission project, Prometheus INL will combine its expertise in AI, digital engineering and data science with ORNL’s leadership in additive manufacturing at the MDF.
“INL and its industry partners will accelerate development of new reactor designs, components and manufacturing methods by applying AI tools, such as those developed under Prometheus, to support the commercial adoption and deployment of nuclear energy and meet the growing needs of American communities, manufacturers and AI data centers,” said Shannon Bragg-Sitton, INL associate laboratory director for Energy and Environment Science and Technology.
ORNL conducts world-leading research in not only additive manufacturing but also the characterization of printed parts.
“ORNL’s unique strength is our ability to connect world-class science with the Manufacturing Demonstration Facility’s capabilities to move innovation from research to real-world impact,” said Robert Wagner, ORNL associate laboratory director for Energy Science and Technology. “By working with industry to demonstrate, validate and qualify advanced manufacturing technologies, we can reduce risk, accelerate deployment and strengthen the domestic supply chains essential to America’s energy future.”
Scaling Up Pressure Vessel Printing Before Focusing on Qualification
In July, MDF scientists used wire arc 3D printing to manufacture a small nuclear pressure vessel displayed at M2IND. The component, which measures about 3 feet by 5 feet, marks an early milestone in pressure vessel research by demonstrating the ability to scale up the technology.
The demonstration confirmed the ability to print a large, closed vessel with a steel alloy relevant to nuclear applications on ORNL’s MedUSA platform, which uses three coordinated robotic arms to build complex parts by melting wire with electric arcs.
Researchers are now working to demonstrate that AI-empowered digital tools can verify the shape and material properties of the vessel during printing. “We would like to achieve born-qualified pressure vessel components using data gathered during printing to confidently assess their worthiness for extreme environments,” said ORNL lead researcher Patxi Fernandez-Zelaia.
As an early step in the current initiative, ORNL used the same MedUSA printer and material in the AI-accelerated production of neutron sensor brackets for Antares Nuclear Inc.’s R1 Mark-0, a novel microreactor design that reached criticality at INL in June.
Solutions that streamline qualifying nuclear components will help the nation deploy nuclear reactor technology faster. “With this project, we’re bringing together expertise from both labs to integrate AI and data science with advanced 3D printing so we can evaluate a part’s performance in real time, while it’s being printed, instead of waiting for post-production testing,” said Jorgen Rufner, INL group lead for advanced manufacturing and a specialist in harsh environment materials.
In the future, the printing and verification methods could apply to other components for nuclear reactors. But beyond nuclear energy, they could benefit other industries that rely on large metal structural components including chemical refining, oil and gas, defense and aerospace.