Florida-based startup Ampera revealed what it describes as the world’s first full-scale, 3D-printed nuclear reactor module, showcasing a printed silicon carbide core and pressure vessel at an event July 1 in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
The unveiling, attended by more than 100 guests including the city’s mayor, marks a step in the company’s push to redefine reactor design through additive manufacturing and subcritical physics.
Unlike conventional reactors, which rely on a self-sustaining chain reaction, Ampera’s system is engineered to remain subcritical, the company says. The reactor cannot maintain fission on its own; instead, external neutron generators continuously supply the particles needed to drive the process…