3D printing and AI used to slash nuclear reactor component construction time ‘from weeks to days’ — pioneers hail 'new era of nuclear construction'

3D printing tech used for the Hermes Low-Power Demonstration Reactor.

3D printing is tipped to have a pivotal part to play in “a new era of nuclear construction.” The assertion comes after the U.S.'s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) successfully integrated 3D printing and AI into the smart manufacturing of nuclear infrastructure. The ORNL partnered with Kairos Power, Barnard Construction, Airtech, TruDesign, Additive Engineering Solutions, Haddy, and the University of Maine to successfully create polymer concrete forms for the Hermes Low-Power Demonstration Reactor. Impressively, it is claimed this manufacturing technology “slashed construction time from weeks to days.”

(Image credit: Oak Ridge National Laboratory)