European Fusion Energy Organization Teams Up with AMAZEMET to Develop Metal Additive Manufacturing Technology for Nuclear Fusion

en.Wedoany.com Reported - Fusion for Energy (F4E), the EU fusion energy organization, has signed a five-year cooperation agreement with AMAZEMET, a Polish company specializing in advanced materials and metal additive manufacturing. The two parties will cooperate on advanced materials required for nuclear fusion devices, metal additive manufacturing, joining and coating, testing and qualification, and technical standards. The agreement stems from F4E's previous call for expressions of interest to industry, and the scope of cooperation covers multiple stages from material development to component manufacturing and qualification.

The cooperation content defined by both parties is divided into five areas, including advanced materials and manufacturing methods, specific requirements of the fusion environment for materials and manufacturing solutions, manufacturing and joining and coating technologies, testing and qualification, and related codes and standards. Cooperation will be advanced through the sharing of technical information, engineering experience, and best practices. AMAZEMET can connect with F4E's engineering requirements developed during ITER construction in the areas of materials and additive manufacturing.

One of the key technical applications is plasma-facing components such as the first wall inside the ITER vacuum vessel. Such components directly withstand high thermal loads and irradiation environments during operation, requiring the use of high-temperature-resistant materials such as tungsten, and the joining of armor layers with heat sink materials that perform heat conduction and structural functions. F4E lists the joining of dissimilar materials as one of the manufacturing difficulties. The relevant components are not made of a single metal, and dedicated joining and coating processes need to be designed for material interfaces.

AMAZEMET's existing technology chain covers metal powder preparation, alloy development, metal additive manufacturing, and heat treatment. Among these, the rePOWDER system uses ultrasonic atomization technology to produce customized metal powders under R&D or small-batch conditions for the development of new alloys and high-performance materials. The company also offers solutions for re-atomization of non-conforming powders and in-situ alloying after powder mixing, which can be used to adjust powder composition and carry out material iteration.

In the additive manufacturing stage, AMAZEMET can use self-produced powders for material printing and process validation, and the printed parts then enter subsequent heat treatment and performance evaluation processes. For fusion components, this type of manufacturing route can be used for the development of complex structures, special material combinations, and geometric designs that are difficult to achieve with traditional machining. Subsequently, material performance, joining reliability, and service condition verification still need to be completed in accordance with fusion device requirements.

In the ITER project, F4E is responsible for the supply of EU-related components and systems, and possesses the technical specifications and qualification requirements for the first wall, vacuum vessel, and other fusion engineering components. This cooperation enables AMAZEMET to directly access the engineering conditions of fusion components during the material and manufacturing solution R&D stage, including thermal loads, irradiation, material compatibility, joining methods, and testing standards.