Westinghouse Installs First-of-a-kind 3d-printed Fuel Component Inside Commercial Nuclear Reactor

Westinghouse Electric Company announced today a 3D-printed thimble plugging device was successfully installed in Exelon’s Byron Unit 1 nuclear plant during their spring refueling outage. It is a first-of-a-kind installation for the nuclear industry.

Additive manufacturing, also known as 3D printing, is an innovative technique that simplifies the manufacturing process by going directly from 3D model to an actual part. Additive manufacturing reduces cost, improves quality and design flexibility, and eliminates conventional manufacturing limitations.

“Westinghouse continues to lead the way with development of the most advanced technologies to help the world meet growing electricity demand with safe, clean and reliable energy,” said Ken Canavan, Westinghouse’s chief technology officer. “Our additive manufacturing program offers customers enhanced component designs that help increase performance and reduce costs, as well as provide access to components that may not be available using traditional manufacturing methods.”

“Additive manufacturing is an exciting new solution for the nuclear industry," said Ken Petersen, Exelon Generation’s vice president of nuclear fuels. “The simplified approach helps meet the industry's need for a wide variety of low-volume, highly critical plant components. We are proud to have Westinghouse as a partner on this industry milestone and to help further demonstrate the viability of this technology.”