Japan-based Kyoto Fusioneering has been awarded a major contract by UK Industrial Fusion Solutions Ltd (UKIFS) to develop a segment of an advanced manufacturing demonstrator for future fusion blanket concepts.
Kyoto Fusioneering’s Breeder Blanket Segment Demonstrator is a physical, scaled prototype designed to prove the manufacturability and structural integrity of advanced materials for future fusion power plants.
The primary goal is to demonstrate that ferritic-martensitic steels (specifically Grade 91) can be fabricated into the complex, vertically straight segments required for a fusion breeder blanket. It uses a combination of laser powder bed fusion (a type of 3D metal printing) and advanced welding to create geometries that would be difficult to produce with traditional methods.
Once built, the segment will undergo high-level testing to verify its dimensions and structural performance under the extreme conditions expected in a reactor. By proving these engineering processes, the project aims to establish a domestic UK supply chain and lower the risk for commercial-scale fusion deployment planned for the 2040s.
The demonstrator will be developed in three distinct parts. These parts and test coupons will be produced by Alloyed’s advanced Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) process for metal components followed by accurate dimensional verification. The demonstrator will be manufactured using fusion-relevant steel and advanced additive manufacturing and welding techniques to produce a representative module suitable for high-level structural evaluation.
The chosen manufacturing methodology has been selected because it has been evaluated as one of the most scalable production techniques and has the potential to scale to the metre plus dimensions with complex geometries, allowing changes in shape to accommodate a range of future fusion system geometries.
The work will be led by Kyoto Fusioneering UK – a subsidiary of the Japan-based parent company – in collaboration with UK companies, Alloyed Ltd and TWI Ltd (The Welding Institute). Alloyed Ltd is an Oxford-based company developing metal component innovation using additive manufacturing. TWI Ltd is an organisation known for its materials, welding, joining and non-destructive testing (NDT) expertise.
Kyoto Fusioneering will oversee all activities, such as the integration of partner contributions, fabrication, inspection, and documentation to ensure compliance with contractual requirements. Collaboration of the three organisations is significant indicator of the emerging UK fusion supply chain. This year has been significant for the UK fusion sector with £2.5bn ($3.37bn) of funding allocated to develop the technology by the British Government in June’s Spending Review.
“Developing the capability to manufacture advanced fusion components in the UK is an important step toward the realisation of commercial fusion energy,” said Ryan Ramsey, Director of Organisational Performance at UKIFS. “This collaboration with Kyoto Fusioneering, Alloyed and TWI reflects the strength of the emerging UK fusion supply chain and the shared progress being made toward future fusion power plants.”
Colin Baus, UK Director of Kyoto Fusioneering said: “We are incredibly excited to have been chosen to develop an advanced manufacturing demonstrator for future fusion blanket technologies by UKIFS in cooperation with Alloyed and TWI for this strategically vital project. It augurs well for the future of UK fusion to see key systems and components being developed and delivered by an emerging UK-based fusion supply chain.”
Dr Shaumik Lenka, Alloyed Associate Director, Core Technology (Materials) noted: “We are delighted to support UKIFS and Kyoto Fusioneering on the Breeder Blanket Segment Demonstrator. Alloyed is fully aligned with the UK’s Net Zero goals and is committed to being part of the UK fusion supply chain, contributing a unique set of additive manufacturing technologies applicable to a range of materials relevant to future fusion systems.”
Paola De Bono, Section Manager of Power Beam Processing at TWI, said: “Advancing future fusion blanket manufacturing technologies will strongly support the goal of making fusion a more practical, sustainable, and economically viable energy source. This award by UKIFS marks an important milestone, enabling shared expertise and joint development to ensure that the UK remains a global leader in the race to deliver safe, reliable, and scalable fusion power.”
Kyoto Fusioneering operates in five countries with a workforce of around 160 people that work to deliver key technologies for plasma heating, tritium fuel cycle, and breeding blanket systems. Kyoto Fusioneering UK was established in 2021 as the company’s first engineering and design hub outside Japan. Since then, it has rapidly grown to a team of 12 based at the UK Atomic Energy Authority’s Culham Science Centre.
Alloyed is an advanced materials company headquartered in Oxford, UK, with a mission to deliver the finest metal components in the world through a fully digital approach. The company’s current focus is on additive manufacturing. However. Alloyed’s technologies extend across all routes for producing advanced metal components, providing end-to-end capability from alloy design and processing through to complex component manufacture. It reports current 12-month revenues of £20–25m and year-on-year growth of approximately 50%. Alloyed employs around 150 engineers and operates from its Oxford headquarters, supported by an AS9100D-certified satellite production facility in Seattle, USA.
TWI Ltd was founded in 1946 and is headquartered at Granta Park near Cambridge, UK. It offers engineering consultancy, bespoke research and development, professional training, and technical support across materials, welding and joining technologies, structural integrity, non-destructive testing and inspection to industrial member companies and stakeholders in all major sectors worldwide.
