---
title: "UK Research and Innovation body backs ambitious fusion energy initiative"
url: https://www.voxelmatters.com/uk-research-and-innovation-body-backs-ambitious-fusion-energy-initiative/
date: 2026-01-17
modified: 2026-01-16
lang: en
author: "Joseph Caron-Dawe"
description: "A project led by researchers at the Centre for Additive Manufacturing (CfAM) at the University of Nottingham in the UK will aim to explore new opportunities for building fusion machines...."
categories:
  - "AM for Energy"
  - "Metal Additive Manufacturing"
  - "Metals"
  - "Refractory Metals"
  - "Renewable Energy"
tags:
  - "future"
image: https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/CfAM-lab-Nottingham-640x400.jpg
word_count: 446
---

# UK Research and Innovation body backs ambitious fusion energy initiative

A project led by researchers at the Centre for Additive Manufacturing (CfAM) at the University of Nottingham in the UK will aim to explore new opportunities for building fusion machines.

In partnership with the [UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA)](https://www.voxelmatters.com/ukaea-3d-prints-fusion-energy-components/) and with support from industrial partners including [Rolls Royce](https://www.voxelmatters.directory/company/rolls-royce/), the [MTC](https://www.voxelmatters.directory/company/manufacturing-technology-centre/) and [Aerosint](https://www.voxelmatters.directory/company/aerosint/), the project – named DIADEM (Design of Interfaces for Additively Engineered Metamaterials) – will be funded by the UKRI.

The initiative will explore new methods for manufacturing materials suitable for extreme environments, starting with those used in fusion machines. It aims to simultaneously [process tungsten and copper](https://www.voxelmatters.com/ukaea-appoints-kingsbury-and-additure-to-fusion-energy-project/), paving the way for components that will be used in future fusion power plants. 

[Multi-Metal Laser Powder Bed Fusion (MM-LPBF), a novel AM technique](https://www.voxelmatters.com/multi-metal-3d-printing-with-pbf-picks-up-steam/) that enables a level of precision over the composition and structure of materials at multiple scales, will be used in the project. This approach will also make the fusion of different metals to create entirely new alloys possible.

![UKAEA appoints Kingsbury and Additure to fusion energy project - using an SLM 280 2.0 LPBF to produce tungsten parts layered with copper.](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Banner_Option_1.png-1-e1768470028320-340x223.webp)An SLM 280 2.0 LPBF used to produce tungsten parts layered with copper

Fusion machines have very specific requirements – extreme temperatures being one – around their complex operating conditions, making tungsten and copper ideal candidates for their exceptional heat resistance and conductivity properties, respectively. 

The challenge has always been in combining the two metals due to their vastly different thermal characteristics. Traditional manufacturing methods are unable to do this effectively, and while emerging AM techniques offer new opportunities, there is still a long way to go. 

DIADEM has been tasked with addressing this and is also part of a broader, long-term vision to innovate and develop technologies that will support a wide range of fusion programs. Key among those is the UK’s prototype fusion power plant, named STEP, which is targeting operation in 2040.

“Fusion promises to be a safe, low-carbon, sustainable part of the world’s future energy supply, and the UK has a great opportunity to become a global exporter of fusion technology,” stated Allan Harte, Fusion Technology Research Portfolio Manager at UKAEA.

“However, achieving fusion means solving complex challenges. This project, leveraging additive manufacturing to help manufacture key fusion components, forms part of UKAEA’s ongoing efforts to bring fusion energy closer to commercial reality.”

There is genuine excitement surrounding the future possibilities that DIADEM will open up across various industries and applications.

“Using this state-of-the-art multi-material additive manufacturing technique for fusion energy is just the first application – in the future, DIADEM will benefit any sector where high-performance, multi-metal components are required, such as aerospace, defence and healthcare,” commented Richard Hague, Director of CfAM.

“By mastering multi-metal additive manufacturing, we’re opening the door to a new generation of engineered materials.”