Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), working with A.J. Tuck Company, have developed a hybrid nuclear manufacturing process that combines 3D printing and electroforming to produce complex hot isostatic pressing (HIP) cans.
These sealed metal containers are used to manufacture high-performance components from metal powders under extreme heat and pressure. The new technique could simplify the production of components for advanced nuclear reactors, as well as equipment used across energy and defence applications.
Initial testing produced five leak-free cylindrical HIP cans, demonstrating that the approach can create precise structures suitable for powder metallurgy hot isostatic pressing. The research team is now moving towards more complex geometries, including an impeller or valve relevant to nuclear energy systems.
The research was carried out through a cooperative research and development agreement, followed by a licensing agreement with A.J. Tuck. The company contributed electroforming and metal-processing expertise and carried out the electroforming work for the project.
By creating intricate metal structures more directly, the process could reduce dependence on conventional forging and casting supply chains and help strengthen domestic nuclear manufacturing capacity.
A provisional patent and invention disclosure have been filed for the innovation.
A new approach to nuclear manufacturing
The development comes as advanced and small modular reactors increase demand for specialised components.
Although nuclear power supplies around one-fifth of US electricity, the availability of large-scale domestic forging and casting capacity remains a manufacturing constraint.
Traditional production of major metal components can require substantial industrial infrastructure, multiple fabrication stages and long lead times.
Much of the global capacity for these processes is also concentrated outside the United States, creating potential supply chain vulnerabilities for strategically important energy technologies.
The ORNL approach is designed to address some of these limitations by combining additive manufacturing with electroforming rather than relying entirely on conventional metalworking.
How electroforming creates complex components
The process begins with a polymer mandrel, or temporary form, produced using a 3D printer. This allows engineers to create complex geometries that would be difficult, expensive or time-consuming to manufacture using conventional techniques.
The polymer form is then submerged in an electrolyte bath. Through electroforming, nickel is deposited onto its surface, gradually creating a dense and uniform metal shell around 2–3 millimetres thick.
Once the shell has reached the required thickness, the polymer mandrel is removed, leaving a hollow metal structure. The cavity is filled with metal powder before the container is sealed and placed into a HIP system.
During HIP, high temperature and pressure cause the powder particles to consolidate into a dense, solid component. The resulting part can therefore be manufactured close to its final geometry while avoiding several conventional fabrication and assembly steps.
Greater flexibility with less processing
Using polymer rather than metal for the initial 3D-printed form also offers manufacturing advantages. Because the plastic is not exposed to the extreme temperatures associated with metal additive manufacturing, there is less risk of thermal distortion and material stress during production.
The approach can also reduce equipment and material requirements while allowing quick design modifications. Less post-processing may be needed compared with conventional metal additive manufacturing, potentially shortening development cycles for specialised components.
A further improvement came from integrating the HIP process port directly into the electroformed structure. This removes the need to weld separate process tubes onto the container, eliminating a potential failure point during high-pressure processing.
The first phase produced five cylindrical HIP cans measuring approximately 15 centimetres tall and 10 centimetres in diameter, all of which were demonstrated to be leak-free.
Scaling electroforming for energy applications
One potential advantage of electroforming is that production time is largely determined by the thickness of the metal deposit rather than the overall size of the component.
This could allow multiple parts to be manufactured simultaneously and make the technique attractive for larger components.
The technology could ultimately be applied to components including reactor pressure vessels, valves, pumps and turbine systems, where complex, high-precision metal structures are required.
The research is being conducted through a cooperative research and development agreement followed by a licensing agreement with A.J. Tuck Company, which contributed electroforming and metal-processing expertise and carried out the electroforming work.
The second phase is now applying the manufacturing method to more demanding geometries. The team will investigate either an impeller, used to move fluids in pumps and turbines, or a nuclear-relevant valve.
If the approach can be successfully scaled, combining 3D printing with electroforming could provide nuclear manufacturers with a faster and more flexible route to producing specialised components while reducing exposure to constrained conventional manufacturing supply chains.
