AMAZEMET has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Fusion for Energy (F4E). F4E is perhaps not widely known, but it’s a very important organization, as it’s the European contributor to ITER, one of the world’s largest and complex experiments. An international nuclear fusion research and engineering project, ITER is working on the establishment of a magnetic confinement nuclear fusion reactor, also known as a tokamak. The goal is to prove out fusion power at the 500 megawatt range through heating up plasma to 150,000,000°C. Now as you may imagine, the forces when doing this will be great, and the materials needed will be cutting-edge.
The MOU will run for five years, and has the two working on additive manufacturing (AM) and other technologies for fusion. The agreement covers “technical knowledge exchange and best practices on advanced materials and manufacturing methods, fusion specific requirements for materials and manufacturing solutions, the development of manufacturing, joining and coating technologies, testing and qualification including heat flux testing, and fusion relevant material codes and standards.”
Working that close to a technology that may completely change the planet could be very good for AMAZEMET. At the same time, the high temperature requirements could also lead to advanced insight into other emerging areas of additive. Amongst other things, AMAZEMET and F4E two will look at refractory metals and copper alloy heat sinks—one of the hottest areas of additive right now.
AMAZEMET CEO Łukasz Żrodowski said,
“Fusion sets requirements that most industries never encounter. Materials have to survive heat loads and neutron exposure at the same time, and the components that face the plasma are rarely made of a single metal. Working with F4E gives us access to those requirements at the point where they are defined, rather than years later when they reach the supply chain,”
Pierre-Yves Chaffard, Senior Projects Adviser at F4E, said,
“We are happy to establish a cooperation with AMAZEMET, a young company with a strong interest in contributing to fusion. Their know-how can bring new solutions to fusion engineering challenges, and, in return, F4E’s insight and experience from ITER can help them further develop and tailor their expertise,”
AMAZEMET has sold over 90 of its ultrasonic atomisation systems, and has worked on over 389 alloys. The Polish firm has made a smart move here. The requirements of fusion are exacting, and these experiments are very expensive. But, if the tokamak works, it could fundamentally change the planet. It could completely change how energy is made, change what we as humans can do on this planet, and are doing to it. So that in and of itself is an exciting journey to be on. But, at the same time, in refractories and copper heat sinks, the company is working on an interface that will be in demand for hypersonics, missiles, and perhaps engines. Combining incredibly good heat sinking with refractory performance could really be a crucial thing for a lot of things that move very quickly.
Images: AMAZEMET
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