Lübeck, Germany, June 03, 2025— Kingsbury and Additure are happy to announce they have been appointed to provide additive manufacturing technology to UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA), which is conducting vital fusion energy research.

UKAEA is the UK’s national fusion energy research organisation and is an executive,
non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Energy Security and Net
Zero.

This research aims to deliver sustainable fusion energy that maximises the scientific and
economic benefits for the UK economy. A crucial part of UKAEA’s work is building industrial
fusion capability by informing and educating manufacturers and supply chains about the
technologies that will be required for fusion energy to be deployed at scale.

As part of their research, the UKAEA has been experimenting with Additive Manufacturing
(Metal AM) to produce components with the required durability to withstand the intense
environment within a fusion energy machine.

UKAEA is looking to utilise additive manufacturing for a novel application – developing
tungsten material and layering this with other materials such as copper. UKAEA has
appointed Kingsbury and Additure to install a Nikon SLM Solutions SLM®280 2.0 Laser
Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) machine.

“Kingsbury and Additure offered their support in working with UKAEA to develop additive
manufacturing as a manufacturing technology for complex geometry fusion components.”
said Roy Marshall, Head of Operations for Fabrication, Installation and Maintenance at the
UKAEA.

“The UKAEA aims to develop the commercialisation of additive manufacturing and support
UK industry in the transition into the fusion energy sector. We conduct the complex areas of
research and development to the point where it becomes commercially viable, the advice
and support of our supply chain is hugely valuable in expediting this process.”
Will Priest, Business Development Manager, at Additure, was delighted to be part of the
initiative, and provide the UKAEA with a cutting-edge LPBF solution.

“We are excited to support the team at the UKAEA as they scale, not just with the
SLM®280’s LPBF capability, but with all the key elements of the AM ecosystem to make this
a robust manufacturing solution for UKAEA and the UK’s fusion programme.”

The SLM®280 2.0 can support refractory metal development through production. It achieves
additive component build rates up to 80% faster compared to single-laser configurations
and, thanks to a PSM powder sieve for depowering and system cooling, ensures operator
safety.

To further assist the UKAEA’s ambitious efforts, Additure provided extensive training to the
research, material, and design teams. This includes definitive application training on build
set-up, optimisation, and use of specific machine features, like the heated reduced build
volume for small-volume manufacture of powder lots for quick development cycles.
This deeper level of technical knowledge will prove invaluable, and will complement
UKAEA’s existing expertise.

“The applications training from Additure will provide our engineers with new ways to design
some of the complex structures required by fusion and allow them to do this using some of
the most challenging materials to work with.

“For additive manufacture to contribute to fusion energy, more designers need to think,
‘What process is most suitable for the desired thermal or structural performance?’ And ‘how
do I create a design that is best optimised for additive manufacture?’”, said Mr. Marshall.

About Kingsbury

Kingsbury is a family business that has been supplying the UK’s most advanced manufacturing sectors with high quality machining solutions for more than fifty years. From our spacious and well equipped facilities in Gosport, Hampshire, we offer a nationwide service, providing manufacturers with innovative machining solutions and comprehensive support. We have been privileged to work with many of the country’s most prestigious OEMs in all facets of industry, including the big household names. We also have a loyal and expanding customer base of sub-contractors and machine shops that rely on our knowledge and experience to give them the competitive edge they need.