- 3D printers built complex concrete parts faster yet prolonged shelf life remains largely untested
- Oak Ridge completed reactor shielding in days, raising speed-contra security debates across the industry
- Advanced construction methods are more dependent on software, which reduces labor yet increases system dependence
In East Tennessee, a 3D printer arm has been used to build concrete protection columns for a nuclear reactor.
The work is part of the Hermes demonstration reactor project with low impact, supported by the US Ministry of Energy, and marks a new direction in how nuclear infrastructure is built, with both 3D printing and AI tools playing major roles.
And according to Oak Ridge National Laboratory (Ornl), large parts of the construction were completed in just 14 days, which could have taken several weeks using conventional methods.
Efficiency gets clash with technical caution
The new method uses 3D printers to create detailed molds for concrete casting, even in complex forms, with the aim of making the construction faster, cheaper and more flexible while being more dependent on US-based materials and work.
AI tools also played a role in the project as Ornl used the technology to guide parts of the design and building process.
These tools can help reduce human errors and speed up work, especially when creating difficult or unique parts, but depending on AI also raises questions. How can builders be sure that these systems will not make unnoticed errors? Who checks the decisions that are automated?
The project is also a response to increasing energy needs – as AI systems and data centers use more power, atomic energy is seen as a stable source of supporting them.
Some experts say that future AI tools may end up running on power from reactors, they helped design, a feedback loop that could be both effective and risky.
The use of 3D printing in this project makes it possible to build precise structures faster.
Still, it is not yet clear how well these 3D printed parts will stop over time.
Nuclear reactors must last for decades, and failure in any part of the structure can be dangerous. Testing and quality control must follow with the speed of new building methods.
For now, 3D printing and AI appear to offer powerful tools for the nuclear industry.
But while faster construction is a major advantage, safety must remain the top concern – this “new era” can provide improvements, but it needs close attention and caution at each step.
Via Toms hardware
