In a two-part series, Charles Goulding and Anthony Palumbo explore how recent U.S. executive orders and private-sector energy demands are driving a nuclear energy revival, with additive manufacturing (AM) poised to accelerate innovation and deployment. This second installment spotlights leading companies developing advanced fusion and fission technologies and examines how AM is enabling faster prototyping, complex component fabrication, and supply chain resilience across next-generation nuclear systems.
Introduction: Private Innovation Meets 3D Printing
A new generation of nuclear startups is pushing the boundaries of reactor design and deployment. From fusion-driven breakthroughs to modular fission systems, these innovators are developing technologies that could redefine the global energy landscape.
Central to their progress is the strategic use of additive manufacturing (AM). Once limited to prototyping, AM is now emerging as a production-ready solution that enables complex geometries, minimizes material waste, accelerates iteration cycles, and strengthens domestic supply chains. Whether fabricating components for compact fusion reactors or advanced heat exchangers for sodium-cooled fission systems, AM is proving to be a foundational tool for building the future of nuclear power—faster, safer, and more efficiently than ever before.
TAE Technologies: Pioneering Fusion with AM
Founded in 1998 and headquartered in Foothill Ranch, California, TAE Technologies (formerly Tri Alpha Energy) has emerged as a global leader in commercial fusion energy. Its beam-driven field-reversed configuration (FRC) design uses magnetic confinement and particle beam injection to reduce radioactive waste and reactor size.
In April 2025, TAE achieved a major milestone: its fifth-generation machine, Norm, sustained plasma formation using only neutral beam injection (NBI). This removes the need for external magnetic coils during startup, potentially cutting reactor size and complexity in half. These results, validated in Nature Communications, pave the way for TAE’s sixth-gen device, Copernicus, which aims to demonstrate net energy gain by 2027.
AM is central to TAE’s development speed. The company uses 3D printing for beamline housings, diagnostic mounts, and structures with embedded cooling channels—components that would be difficult or cost-prohibitive to fabricate conventionally. This agility accelerates prototyping, testing, and reactor evolution.
TAE’s innovation is backed by over $1.3 billion in funding, including $150 million in April 2025 from Google, Chevron, and New Enterprise Associates (NEA). Their first prototype plant, Da Vinci, is expected in the early 2030s.
Fusion and Fission Innovators: Fueling the Next Wave
Several leading firms across both fusion and fission disciplines are applying AM in reactor R&D and are poised to expand its role as these designs move toward commercialization.
Commonwealth Fusion Systems: SPARC Tokamak & AM Integration
Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS), a Massachusetts-based spinout from MIT, is constructing the SPARC compact tokamak, set to achieve net fusion energy by 2027. It is remarkable for its high-temperature superconducting (HTS) magnets and stainless steel cryostat base. Under the DOE’s INFUSE program, CFS partnered with Oak Ridge and PNNL to experiment with AM for oxide dispersion-strengthened (ODS) steel parts under fusion-relevant conditions.
Key components ripe for AM:
- Vacuum vessel segments and cooling ribs with flow channels and radiation shielding
- Support structures for HTS magnets to handle cryogenic loads
- In-vessel diagnostics and ports to enhance feedthroughs and integrated sensor mounts
These applications have already motivated DOE-funded investigations, placing CFS’s SPARC at the forefront of AM-enabled fusion hardware development.
TerraPower: Natrium Reactor Prototyping Potential
TerraPower is fabricating the Natrium sodium-cooled fast reactor, which integrates a 345 MWe reactor with a molten salt energy storage system. While AM usage hasn’t been confirmed, their complex reactor internals present several possibilities for integration.
AM-aligned component opportunities:
- Heat exchanger blocks with intricate coolant channels
- Pump housings and valve body prototyping in high-temperature Ni-alloys for advanced thermal conditions
- Internal support structures with lightweight lattice geometries
By adopting AM, TerraPower could significantly reduce fabrication costs and iteration cycles, supporting rapid deployment.
NuScale Power: SMR Module Fabrication & Additive Advantage
NuScale Power has secured NRC approval for its 77 MWe SMR module design and larger VOYGR variants. Their factory-built, transportable modules demand high-integrity and versatility in component assembly.
Ideal AM candidates include:
- Primary coolant pipes and steam generator tubing with complex helical structures
- Spray nozzles and thermocouple housings printed as unified components
- Integrated sensor mounts for real-time structural/thermal monitoring
Even without current public AM adoption, such use cases are well-aligned with DOE-funded prototyping work and represent a strong additive path forward.
X‑Energy: Xe‑100 Reactor & High-Temperature Components
X-Energy is advancing a high-temperature gas-cooled reactor known as the Xe-100, which uses TRISO fuel particles—tiny uranium fuel spheres coated in ceramic layers for containment. The reactor’s core components require materials that can withstand extreme heat and neutron flux.
The core’s demanding conditions open the door for AM in several areas:
- Graphite moderator segments and optimized internal passages
- Custom Fuel-handling tooling and trays
- High-performance, multi-material heat exchangers
Adopting AM for these tasks would strengthen Xe‑100’s reliability and efficiency, especially under high-temperature, high-neutron flux conditions.
National Laboratories: Building the Technical and Regulatory Foundations
National laboratories are bridging the gap between experimental AM parts and certified commercial use. Their work in testing, qualification, and process validation is essential to scaling AM in the nuclear sector.
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL): First 3D Printed Reactor Components
ORNL has taken additive manufacturing (AM) from lab bench to operational reactor. Through the Transformational Challenge Reactor (TCR) program with Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and Framatome, it produced and installed four 3D-printed stainless steel fuel assembly brackets (channel fasteners) at TVA’s Browns Ferry Unit 2, a world-first for safety-critical reactor components. These laser powder bed fusion parts remain in service and undergo regular inspections, cementing confidence in 3D‑printed parts within regulated environments.
ORNL also 3D printed a rabbit capsule used in its High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR), surviving intense neutron bombardment for nearly a month. This demonstrates not only complex geometry fabrication, but confirms the durability of AM parts in harsh nuclear environments.
Idaho National Laboratory (INL): Fuel Innovation and AM Quality Assurance (QA)
INL is exploring the intersection of AM and nuclear fuel research. It has used 3D printing to produce nuclear fuel pellets and experimental irradiation modules, opening pathways for custom fuel geometry and rapid fuel testing.
At its Transient Reactor Test Facility (TREAT), INL is using AM to quickly fabricate test assemblies, dramatically reducing lead times and improving flexibility in reactor code design iterations. Parallel efforts with ORNL leverage machine-learning-driven inspection algorithms for quality assurance of printed parts, ensuring they meet nuclear standards efficiently.
Argonne National Laboratory (ANL): Advancing Qualification of AM Materials
ANL is testing AM-produced materials like 316L stainless steel under light water reactor (LWR) conditions to support material performance qualification for traditional reactors. Using digital twin simulations, ANL enhances predictive insights into component behavior, supporting future AM certification.
Research is also underway on high-entropy alloys and radiation-resistant composites, leveraging AM’s ability to fabricate novel material combinations. These advances could enable components designed specifically for extreme nuclear environments.
The Future of Additive Manufacturing in Nuclear Energy
As demand grows for clean and reliable nuclear power, additive manufacturing (AM) is evolving from prototype tooling into a transformative force across the nuclear lifecycle—including design, testing, regulation, and supply chain resilience.
Key future-facing trends include:
On-site Manufacturing: Portable AM systems may enable nuclear facilities—especially in remote regions—to fabricate replacement parts on demand, reducing downtime and supply chain risk.
System-Level Innovation: AM allows embedded sensors, optimized lattices, and material blending in ways traditional methods cannot. These design features support better heat transfer, monitoring, and longevity.
Qualification Pathways: Programs like the DOE’s Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies (AMMT) initiative and ARPA-E’s support are accelerating the development of certified AM parts. These include novel high-entropy alloys and radiation-hardened composites.
Standardization Efforts: The NRC, ASME, and ASTM are developing unified codes and qualification standards for nuclear AM parts. International collaborations, like NUCOBAM, are also advancing global regulatory confidence.
The Research & Development Tax Credit
The now permanent Research and Development (R&D) Tax Credit is available for companies developing new or improved products, processes, and/or software. 3D printing can help boost a company’s R&D Tax Credits. Wages for technical employees creating, evaluating, and revising 3D printed prototypes are typically eligible expenses toward the R&D Tax Credit. Similarly, when used as a method of improving a process, time spent integrating 3D printing hardware and software can also be an eligible R&D expense. Lastly, when used for modeling and preproduction, the costs of filaments consumed during the development process may also be recovered.
Whether it is used for creating and testing prototypes or for final production, 3D printing is a great indicator that R&D Credit-eligible activities are taking place. Companies implementing this technology at any point should consider taking advantage of R&D Tax Credits.
Conclusion: A Printed Path to Nuclear Progress
In Part 1, we examined how U.S. policy is enabling a nuclear comeback through licensing reform, infrastructure investment, and fuel cycle revitalization. In this second part, we’ve seen how private enterprise, backed by national labs, is putting that policy into practice. Companies like TAE Technologies, Commonwealth Fusion Systems, and X-Energy are not just conceptualizing new reactors, they’re building them with the help of additive manufacturing. This shift allows for faster, more cost-effective, and more innovative approaches to nuclear design and deployment.
As AM transitions from prototype tool to production standard, it will be a cornerstone of America’s ability to meet rising power demands, support AI infrastructure, and maintain energy resilience. The nuclear renaissance is being printed into reality—layer by layer.
