Argonne’s ASME Submission Aims to Open a Formal Pathway for LPBF in Nuclear Reactor Manufacturing

• Argonne National Laboratory, a research center operated by UChicago Argonne, for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), has submitted the first draft of an ASME Code Case proposing Laser Powder Bed Fusion as a permitted manufacturing process for high-temperature nuclear reactor components.  If adopted, the proposal would strengthen the nuclear supply chain, reduce manufacturing lead […]

Argonne National Laboratory, a research center operated by UChicago Argonne, for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), has submitted the first draft of an ASME Code Case proposing Laser Powder Bed Fusion as a permitted manufacturing process for high-temperature nuclear reactor components. If adopted, the proposal would strengthen the nuclear supply chain, reduce manufacturing lead times, and expand design flexibility for critical structural components, areas where the industry has long been constrained by the limits of conventional fabrication methods. The Regulatory Gap Matters Nuclear energy operates under strict codes that dictate how structural components can be made. Until now, additive manufacturing had no formal pathway into those codes for high-temperature applications, effective