Early progress on additive manufacturing of nuclear fuel materials

Additive manufacturing of thorium dioxide has been investigated using a commercially available stereolithography-based 3D printer and photopolymer resin. Three-dimensional thorium dioxide objects have been printed with good dimensional accuracy. High-density thorium dioxide parts (>90% theoretical density) were achieved by sintering the 3D-printed parts. Despite significant shrinkage, the overall shape of the objects was maintained during sintering with slight distortion. Additive manufacturing is seen to have potential application for advanced nuclear fuel concepts with complex geometries.