Industrial additive manufacturing is entering the commercial nuclear power sector through a new production agreement between two Midwestern companies.
NX Atomics, an Indiana-based small modular reactor (SMR) developer, will utilize technology from Chicago’s Sciaky to manufacture components for its upcoming reactor fleet.
The agreement centers on integrating Sciaky’s Electron Beam Additive Manufacturing (EBAM) process into the production line of NX Atomics’ VELA reactor platform.
NX Atomics is developing the fifth-generation VELA reactor to bypass traditional electrical grid infrastructure. Instead, the company is positioning the system to provide direct baseload electricity and high-temperature process heat to localized, power-intensive operations.
The strategy is aimed directly at the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence data centers and heavy industrial facilities, with a target production cost of under $20/MWh.
Overcoming cost barriers with advanced architecture
Traditional nuclear energy projects frequently face economic hurdles due to the extensive lead times and high capital requirements of manufacturing heavy components.
The partnership intends to alter this dynamic by replacing conventional fabrication methods with industrial 3D printing.
Beyond faster initial production, the VELA platform introduces an unconventional operational model: rather than designing every internal component to endure for the entire lifecycle of the reactor, the system utilizes an interchangeable architecture.
Certain parts are engineered to be systematically replaced during routine maintenance, which lowers initial manufacturing constraints and reduces long-term operational overhead.
“This is what bringing nuclear manufacturing into the modern era actually looks like,” said John Warden, CEO of NX Atomics.
“3D printing opens up the potential for us to produce nuclear-qualified parts faster and at lower cost, where appropriate swap them out through life, and meaningfully reduce the unit cost of every small modular reactor we build.”
Transitioning proven aviation tech to energy infrastructure
The production technique has already transitioned from experimental prototyping to standardized use in other heavy industries. Over the last ten years, aerospace and defense manufacturers have used the EBAM process to supply structural titanium and specialized alloy components for commercial aircraft, naval ships, and defense systems.
The technology has also assisted space flight, providing printed propulsion elements for orbital platforms and lunar landing vehicles.
“Our EBAM process produces parts that fly on commercial aircraft, sail on naval vessels, and orbit the earth,” concluded John Criso, CEO of Sciaky.
“Bringing that capability into America’s clean energy infrastructure with NX Atomics is a natural next step, and we are proud that two Midwestern companies are leading this transition.”
US’ advanced microreactor deployment plans
In a separate domestic nuclear development, the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has accepted a Construction Permit Application (CPA) to deploy NANO Nuclear Energy’s KRONOS micro modular reactor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U. of I.).
This acceptance transitions the project from the initial planning stage to a formal regulatory evaluation, allowing the NRC to begin its detailed technical, safety, and environmental reviews.
The KRONOS reactor is a stationary, fourth-generation nuclear energy system built to provide carbon-free electricity and process heat directly to co-located infrastructure. In a single-unit layout, the installation generates up to 45 MWth of power, while multi-unit configurations can scale up to deliver gigawatt-level output.
Designed to be transported by road and assembled directly on site, the modular system allows operators to deploy multiple units concurrently to expand capacity and reduce the levelized cost of electricity.