The Atomic Forge: How 3D Printing is Reshaping Nuclear Energy's Future

CHICAGO, IL – June 02, 2026 – In the quiet heart of America's industrial Midwest, a partnership has formed that could fundamentally re-engineer our clean energy future. NX Atomics, an Indiana-based nuclear startup, is joining forces with Chicago's Sciaky, Inc., a titan of industrial manufacturing. Their goal: to 3D-print components for small modular reactors (SMRs), applying a technology perfected for building jet fighters and spacecraft to the challenge of building next-generation nuclear power plants. The announcement is more than a business deal; it's a declaration that the digital, on-demand era of manufacturing has finally arrived at the doorstep of the nuclear industry.

The SMR Conundrum

Small Modular Reactors have long been hailed as the next chapter in nuclear energy. Their promise is compelling: smaller, safer, factory-built reactors that can provide clean, reliable power without the colossal price tags and decade-long construction timelines of their gigawatt-scale predecessors. Yet, the SMR dream has been dogged by a stubborn economic reality. The complex, large-scale components required—from pressure vessels to pump housings—rely on a fragile supply chain and forging processes that can take years, driving up costs and making SMRs a tough sell against cheaper natural gas.

This is the problem NX Atomics and Sciaky aim to solve. "This is what bringing nuclear manufacturing into the modern era actually looks like," said John Warden, CEO of NX Atomics. His vision, outlined in the partnership's announcement, is to leverage 3D printing to "produce nuclear-qualified parts faster and at lower cost." Research from institutions like the Idaho National Laboratory supports this optimism, suggesting additive manufacturing can slash component fabrication costs by up to 90% and accelerate production tenfold for certain parts. The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) has estimated that applying advanced manufacturing to a reactor pressure vessel could cut its capital cost by 40% and shrink fabrication time to under a year.

Beyond just cost, the partnership signals a paradigm shift in component philosophy. Instead of designing parts to last for the 60-year life of a plant, additive manufacturing makes it feasible to design components that are meant to be replaced. "3D printing opens up the potential for us to... where appropriate swap them out through life," Warden explained. This approach could drastically lower both the upfront capital investment and the long-term operational costs of an entire reactor fleet, making SMRs more economically agile and competitive.

From Aerospace to Atoms

At the heart of this venture is Sciaky's proprietary Electron Beam Additive Manufacturing (EBAM®) process. This is not your hobbyist's desktop 3D printer. EBAM operates in a vacuum, using a powerful electron beam to melt metal wire layer by layer, building massive, industrial-grade parts. With the ability to deposit up to 40 pounds of metal per hour and create structures over 19 feet long, it is one of the fastest and largest-scale metal 3D printing technologies in the world.

Crucially, EBAM is a battle-tested technology. For over a decade, it has been the manufacturing backbone for some of the world's most demanding industries. "Our EBAM process produces parts that fly on commercial aircraft, sail on naval vessels, and orbit the earth," noted John Criso, CEO of Sciaky, Inc. Structural components for Airbus jets, Lockheed Martin defense projects, and NASA missions have all been forged by Sciaky's electron beams. The technology's transition from building spacecraft to building power plants is, as Criso puts it, a "natural next step."

The system's technical capabilities are uniquely suited for the nuclear sector. Its wire-fed process is incredibly efficient, wasting almost no material compared to powder-based methods. The vacuum environment prevents contamination, which is critical when working with the high-performance stainless steels and nickel-based alloys common in reactors. Perhaps most importantly, Sciaky’s closed-loop control system, IRISS®, monitors and adjusts the process in real-time, ensuring that every layer of a component has the precise, consistent microstructure and material properties required for nuclear-grade certification.

Forging Trust in a Regulated World

While the technological promise is immense, the path forward is paved with regulatory scrutiny. The nuclear industry is, for good reason, conservative. Every component that enters a reactor must be proven to withstand decades of intense heat, pressure, and radiation. Gaining approval from bodies like the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for parts made with a novel process is a monumental undertaking.

Experts note that qualifying 3D-printed materials is more complex than for traditionally forged metal, where properties are largely uniform. In an additively manufactured part, the thermal history of each section can vary, potentially leading to slight differences in material properties within a single component. This requires a new level of data collection, simulation, and non-destructive testing to build a comprehensive safety case.

However, this challenge is also an opportunity. The data-rich nature of the EBAM process provides an unprecedented digital record of a part's creation, which can be used to predict its performance. Furthermore, additive manufacturing can enhance safety. By printing a complex valve or pump housing as a single, monolithic part, engineers can eliminate the welds and joints that are often the weakest points in a system. Innovators like Westinghouse have already used 3D printing to create fuel components with intricate internal geometries that improve performance and debris capture—designs that would be impossible to create with traditional methods.

A Broader Industrial Shift

The NX Atomics-Sciaky collaboration is a leading example, but not an isolated one, of a broader trend. Across the globe, the nuclear industry is embracing advanced manufacturing. National labs like Oak Ridge are pioneering 3D-printed microreactor cores, while established players like Framatome and Westinghouse have already installed 3D-printed components in operating commercial reactors. This collective movement signifies that additive manufacturing is moving from a research curiosity to a core industrial capability.

The partnership in the American Midwest is therefore more than a story about two companies. It represents the convergence of digital manufacturing, advanced materials science, and the urgent need for clean energy. By leveraging a proven aerospace technology, NX Atomics and Sciaky are not just aiming to build reactor parts; they are attempting to forge a faster, more affordable, and more resilient foundation for the next era of nuclear power.