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TVEL Fuel Company of Rosatom, the supplier of nuclear fuel for Russian nuclear power plants, has established a subsidiary company dedicated to additive manufacturing (AM) technologies.
The division, Rusatom – Additive Technologies (RusAT, JSC), will be responsible for developing AM technologies within Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corporation. Work at RusAT will commence this month, with the focus on four key areas. These include the manufacture of 3D printers and their components; the production of materials and metal powders; software development for additive systems and services; and rendering 3D printing services and the introduction of additive manufacturing technologies at industrial enterprises.
Alexey Dub will take up the position of Director General of RusAT, moving from his position as Deputy Director General of Science and Innovation, JSC, Rosatom’s science division. Dub will lead the company as it works to develop new AM technologies, targeting more sectors than just the energy industry.
“Rosatom has developed a pre-production prototype of Gen II 3D printer. Commercial production of the printer is scheduled for this year in Novouralsk,” said Dub. “The Russian-made printer will be 20% cheaper than the foreign models and have a better performance. At the same time, if we consider just medical institutions in Russia, they need up to one hundred of endoprostheses each year, and we can produce them with our 3D printers.”
RusAT will set about to develop a number of products and secure contracts with industry players. Its targeting an annual revenue of 50bln RUB by 2025, equating to about 860m USD at current exchange rates. It forms part of the growing business model of TVEL Fuel Company of Rosatom, which comprises nuclear fuel fabrication and uranium enrichment facilities, gas centrifuge manufacturers, and research and engineering companies.
