These materials could then be applied to advanced nuclear power, hypersonic thermal protection systems, and fusion energy demonstrators. The collaboration seeks to streamline and enhance production of the materials through improved resin formulations, advanced preforming, in situ monitoring, and advanced thermal processing, thereby ensuring “a steady supply of extreme environment materials for industrial markets and federal agencies.”
Acceleration, innovation, and exchange: GA-EMS president Scott Forney said that the agreement “creates a powerful partnership that will accelerate innovation, strengthen critical supply chains, and deliver advanced materials essential for national and energy security.”
Robert Wagner, ORNL’s associate laboratory director for the Energy Science and Technology Directorate, said that the partnership’s “focus will explore greater manufacturing efficiencies and accelerate the development of extreme environment material technologies to ensure secure, affordable, and reliable solutions to fuel the nation’s economic growth and energy independence.”
The MOU will complement GA-EMS’s launch of MAITrX (Materials Acceleration, Innovation and Transition Exchange), which was “developed to drive customized advanced materials technologies to commercial implementation,” Forney said. “By maturing MAITrX capabilities, built on more than 60 years of nuclear expertise, with ORNL’s expertise, we are proactively positioning ourselves to tackle critical material challenges that support the safety and security of the U.S.”
Manufacturing Demonstration Facility: ORNL’s MDF, which was established in 2012 with support from the Department of Energy’s Advanced Manufacturing and Materials Technology Office, describes itself as “the nation’s flagship facility and innovation network for the design, development, and demonstration of scaled-up advanced manufacturing platforms and technologies for industry. MDF leverages its core research disciplines and world-class capabilities to increase the rate of innovation and commercial deployment of new materials, processes, and systems.”
The MDF 2025 Impact Report discusses the facility’s work in a wide range of technology areas, including energy systems, advanced materials, and digital and additive manufacturing.
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