Thu, 12 June, 2025
We are pleased to announce the successful conclusion of a project to investigate Cold Spray Additive Manufacturing (CSAM).
With support from the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA), we undertook the CSAM project to evaluate the feasibility of using cold spray additive manufacturing for materials that are of interest to the fusion industry.
CSAM is a solid-state material deposition method that uses a pre-heated, pressurised gas to accelerate powder particles at a substrate at supersonic speeds. The high velocity impact causes the particles to bond to the substrate to create dense, near-net-shape components with a high deposition rate and low levels of wastage.
The process allows for near-net-shape manufacturing, which aligns with The UK Fusion Roadmap 2021-2040, which targets near net shape process innovations as replacements for conventional powder metallurgy.
Advantages of the process include:
- Creation of dense near-net-shape components directly from powder, with no canning (or can-removal), or hot forming
- High deposition rates (up to 100s g/min) with low energy consumption and low material wastage (current methods often result in >80% wastage)
- Uniform deposit density with microstructure preserved
CSAM is capable of building internal structures by using removable scaffold material during the build process. Since no melting is required by the process, it can create multi-material and/or functionally-graded structures, while the build volume is only limited by the size of robotic manipulation capabilities and extraction requirements.
The project assessed the feasibility to use CSAM to produce large-scale components for fusion reactors, including an investigation into the use of vanadium, tungsten, and CuCrZr powders for cold spray. Demonstration components were created to show capabilities such as functional grading. Post processing was also examined, including post-deposition thermal treatments to enhance the microstructural and mechanical properties.
You can see a video showing the operation of the heavy duty rotatory positioners within TWI’s cold spray facility, below:
To find out more information on CSAM, please contact us by emailing contactus@twi.co.uk.
Acknowledgement:
This project has been supported by UK Atomic Energy Authority through the Fusion Industry Programme. The Fusion Industry Programme is stimulating the growth of the UK fusion ecosystem and preparing it for future global fusion powerplant market. More information about the Fusion Industry Programme can be found online: https://ccfe.ukaea.uk/programmes/fusion-industry-programme/