Kairos Power Advances Nuclear Construction with 3D-Printed Forms

The Department of Energy’s Manufacturing Demonstration Facility at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, in partnership with Kairos Power and Barnard Construction, has developed and validated large-scale 3D-printed polymer composite forms for casting complex concrete structures for nuclear infrastructure.

• 3D-printed forms enable rapid, precise cast-in-place construction of complex nuclear reactor shielding components, reducing timelines from weeks to days and lowering costs compared to traditional steel or wood forms.
• The project is part of the SM2ART Moonshot Project, funded by DOE’s Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies Office, aiming to modernize nuclear construction with additive manufacturing, AI, and digital tools, supporting Kairos Power’s Hermes reactor construction and future commercial plants.