Rosatom, the Federal Agency for Atomic Energy of Russia, manages the country’s civil and military nuclear industry. The organization, which reports directly to the Russian government, controls a number of production and research facilities in the nuclear field, as well as related companies. This includes Rusatom – Additive Technologies (RusAT), a company specializing in 3D printing.
At an industry exhibition on May 22, RusAT unveiled its largest 3D printer to date, which relies on direct metal deposition (DMD). The machine was developed jointly with specialists from the Institute of Laser and Welding Technologies at St. Petersburg Naval Technical University. The printer is equipped with two industrial six-axis robots and a positioner with a load capacity of up to 8 tons.
The equipment is designed for the production of parts with a maximum diameter of 2.2 meters and height of 1 meter, which do not have defects in the form of large pores, cracks and foreign inclusions. This equipment enables the production of large-sized parts with specified strength properties at high productivity of up to 2.4 kg/h when using powder materials of nickel alloys, stainless and heat-resistant steels.
According to the developers, the 3D printer can be used in all major high-tech industries – nuclear, aerospace, shipbuilding, as well as aerospace. It is expected that the use of the machine in the nuclear industry will reduce the cost and production time. Likewise, it will enable the development of new advanced designs.
Rosatom currently has three additive technology centers in Moscow, Novouralsk and Nizhny Novgorod.
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