ROSATOM Announces New Additive Manufacturing Subsidiary

The first industrial metal 3D printer to be made in Russia was developed by ROSATOM’s Fuel Company TVEL, or ROSATOM for short. ROSATOM is a global technological leader and the largest generator of electricity in Russia, and it developed its industrial metal 3D printer about a year and a half ago to begin producing components for the nuclear energy sector. The technology has been a success within the company and the industry, and now ROSATOM has announced the creation of a new subsidiary dedicated to additive manufacturing. Rusatom – Additive Technologies (RusAT) – will manage ROSATOM’s development of additive manufacturing activities.

The executive management of RusAT will be starting work this month. The company will be focusing on four key areas:

• Manufacturing of 3D printers and 3D printer components
• Production of materials and metal powders for 3D printing
• Software development for additive systems and services
• Rendering 3D printing services and introduction of additive manufacturing technologies at industrial enterprises

Equipment and consumables will be produced at ROSATOM facilities, primarily at the two facilities of TVEL Fuel Company in Novouralsk, the Urals region of Russia, NPO Tsentrotech and Ural Electrochemical Integrated Plant.

RusAT will coordinate product development as well as manage contracts and the order pipeline. The company’s goal is to grow its annual revenue up to RUB 50 billion by 2025 and take over 1.5% share of the global market. Alexey Dub, First Deputy Director General of Science and Innovation at JSC, ROSATOM’s science division, has been appointed Director General of RusAT. A second 3D printer is in the works as well, according to the new Director General.

Rosatom’s industrial metal 3D printer [Image: RusNews]

“ROSATOM has developed a pre-production prototype of Gen II 3-D printer,” said Dub. “Commercial production of the printer is scheduled for this year in Novouralsk. The Russian-made printer will be 20% cheaper than the foreign models and have a better performance.  At the same time, if we consider just medical institutions in Russia, they need up to one hundred of endoprostheses each year, and we can produce them with our 3D-printers.”

It would appear, then, that RusAT is going to be expanding its 3D printing activities to encompass needs of other industries besides the nuclear industry, such as the medical sector. The original ROSATOM industrial metal 3D printer was the first to be developed by a Russian company, and the expansion of additive manufacturing within ROSATOM is emblematic of the expansion of additive manufacturing within Russia itself. The country has recently demonstrated its interest in the technology within multiple industries, from aerospace to architecture to education. Establishing an additive manufacturing subsidiary within the biggest power generation company in the country is a further sign that Russia is serious about making the technology a big part of its industry and infrastructure.

Discuss this and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com or share your thoughts below.