Description of need
Nuclear fusion plants are expected to require high-precision manufacturing of specialty components, such as porous first wall materials or functionally graded composites.
Problem severity (1-10)
6
Who has this need
Fusion companies
Total addressable market (TAM)
Unknown
Solutions today, and their shortcomings
- A variety of engineering companies provide precision components to ITER today.
Potentially relevant capabilities
- Additive manufacturing for RF antennas
- High-throughput alloy design for fusion RF antennas
- Special metal alloys that don’t contain any high-activation elements like Nb (see Low-activation materials)
- Post-processing like welding and polishing for an optimal waveguide performance
References
- Fusion Industry Association. “The Fusion Industry Supply Chain: Opportunities and Challenges,
- 2023-07-25 Sara Ferry