Alexey Savransky
Rosatom Additive Technologies facility
Rosatom Additive Technologies, a TVEL Fuel Company business established in 2018, has opened its first Additive Technologies Center (ATC) at the Moscow Polymetal Plant.
The ATC has been developed to combine development, engineering and manufacturing and is equipped with 3D printer assembly, 3D printing, post-processing, product research and sample testing capabilities. It is believed to be the only additive technology facility in Russia operating domestic equipment and will be harnessed to test additive manufacturing technologies and demonstrate their industrial capabilities.
Installed within the facility are Rosatom’s own Selective Laser Melting 3D printers, including the Rusmelt 300M, Rusmelt 600M and Rusmelt 600 RM platforms which process metal powders, and additional Selective Laser Sintering and Stereolithography platforms for polymer parts. All 3D printing equipment is run by Russian software and have characteristics and parameters that are said to meet international standards. The facility’s range of auxiliary and testing equipment will be expanded over time.
Alexey Savransky
Rosatom Additive Technologies opens first additive manufacturing facility
Rosatom believes the ATC will enable it to develop and additively manufacture complex components for sectors like the nuclear industry. The ATC is considered a first pilot platform that will be used to develop ‘the best technological proposals and business solutions for our clients,’ with a full production cycle for AM products set to be established by the end of 2021 and orders taken after ‘debugging’ the printer modes.
“The opening of the first Additive Technologies Center underlines the role of Rosatom in creating a new technological paradigm in our country,” commented Alexey Likachev, Director General of Rosatom. “This is an extraordinary milestone not just for the nuclear industry, but on a national scale as well. There is a lot of work ahead to create a whole network of such centres, primarily in the cities and regions of Rosatom enterprises operation. The next such centre will be established in Novouralsk on the basis of NPO Centrotech, another enterprise of TVEL Fuel Company. Development and application of these technologies has a great meaning for the entire nuclear industry. We have solutions for using additive manufacturing, from separate elements of some products to essential supplies of equipment.”
“Rosatom has chosen the path of developing the full product line of equipment and services for additive manufacturing, being a manufacturer and a customer at the same time,” added Natalia Nikipelova, President of TVEL JSC. “This centre features a fully-3D printed anti-debris filter for a nuclear fuel assembly. It required fewer materials than traditional manufacturing and it has a design that would be impossible to reproduce with other methods. By introducing additive technologies in our own business, we show an example for other industries. In fact, we are creating another new industry in Russia with its own centres, expertise, staff and linked universities.”
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