General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems (GA-EMS) recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) to enhance manufacturing technologies for extreme environment materials, supporting the development of critical industrial sectors such as aerospace, defense, and energy. GA-EMS will focus on developing scalable and efficient ceramic matrix composites that can withstand extreme temperatures, radiation, and mechanical stress, contributing to enhanced national security and economic competitiveness.
Scott Forney, President of GA-EMS, stated, "This agreement establishes a powerful partnership that will accelerate innovation, strengthen critical supply chains, and deliver advanced materials vital to national and energy security." He added that this collaboration will combine with the launch of the MAITrX platform to promote the commercial application of customized advanced material technologies and leverage ORNL's nuclear expertise to address critical material challenges.
GA-EMS will lead the development of manufacturing technologies for extreme environment materials, covering precursors, fibers, and coatings for carbon/carbon, carbon/silicon carbide, and silicon carbide/silicon carbide composite systems. The collaboration with ORNL will streamline production processes and apply these materials to advanced nuclear power, hypersonic thermal protection systems, and fusion energy demonstration devices. By integrating GA-EMS's innovative processes with ORNL's Manufacturing Demonstration Facility (MDF) resources, the partnership aims to reduce production time and improve efficiency.
Robert Wagner, Deputy Director of the Energy Science and Technology Directorate at ORNL, noted, "Our focus will be on exploring higher manufacturing efficiency and accelerating the development of extreme environment material technologies to ensure the provision of safe, economical, and reliable solutions that drive national economic growth and energy independence." This collaboration will enable ORNL to contribute to current and future applications, working with industry partners to ensure energy security.
According to the agreement details, the MDF will serve as an open-access resource, supporting federal projects and advancing U.S. industry. Potential projects will demonstrate how to improve energy utilization, process efficiency, and manufacturing yield to ensure a stable supply of extreme environment materials for industrial markets and federal agencies. This initiative is expected to promote the application of material technologies in extreme environments and foster breakthroughs in related fields.
