UKAEA entwickelt 3D -Druck für Fusionskomponenten – Die britische Atomerergiebehörde hat begonnen, zwei Maschinen mit zwei additiven Herstellungen – oder 3D -Drucken – zu komplementären Methoden zur Herstellung hochspezialisierter Komponenten für Fusionsmaschinen zu verwenden.

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„The components within future fusion power plants will have to operate under complex and challenging conditions, including extreme temperatures, high neutron loads, and strong magnetic fields,“ said the UKAEA, which carries out fusion energy research on behalf of the UK government, overseeing the country’s fusion programme. „As a result, they require complex combinations of materials and precision engineering.“

It says that additive manufacturing is „well suited“ to producing materials with intricate designs, and in low volumes, making it ideal for a sector such as fusion. UKAEA believes that 3D printing can play an important role in the future of fusion, reducing the costs of this precision manufacturing.

At its recently opened Central Support Facility (CSF), UKAEA has commissioned an electron beam additive manufacturing machine alongside a selective laser manufacturing machine.

The eMELT Electron Beam Powder Bed Fusion (E-PBF) additive machine, made by Freemelt, will use electron beam technology to join tungsten in powder-form into solid components with almost 100 percent density. The eMELTmachine will be used to layer tungsten onto other materials such as copper chrome zirconium, stainless steel and Eurofer 97, a special type of steel developed for use in fusion machines.