ORNL and A.J. Tuck 3D-Print HIP Cans for Domestic Nuclear Manufacturing

Oak Ridge National Laboratory and A.J. Tuck Company have developed a hybrid manufacturing method that combines 3D printing with electroforming to produce leak-free hot isostatic pressing cans, the sealed containers used to consolidate metal powder into high-performance parts.

The process starts with a 3D-printed polymer form shaped like the final component. That form goes into an electrolyte bath, where electroforming builds a dense metal shell roughly 2 to 3 millimeters thick over the printed geometry. Acid then dissolves the polymer, leaving a hollow metal structure that can be filled with powder and processed under heat and pressure.

The work is aimed at advanced nuclear energy systems, where HIP cans are critical but domestic forging capacity is limited. Phase 1 produced five cylindrical cans measuring 15.2 centimeters tall and 10.2 centimeters in diameter, each with an integrated port design that eliminates a separate welding step. Phase 2 is already underway, applying the same technique to more complex geometries including impellers and valves.

A.J. Tuck president Dara Williams says the precision opens a path for domestic nuclear manufacturing that does not depend on constrained supply chains. The team has filed an invention disclosure and a provisional patent.

What makes this approach interesting is the use of 3D printing for the initial mandrel. Printing plastic is far cheaper and faster than machining a metal form, and it enables geometries that would be difficult or impossible to produce with conventional tooling. The metal shell inherits that precision, then gets dissolved away without damaging the final part. It is a clever division of labor: plastic for shape, metal for strength, chemistry for cleanup.