Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and industry partners are deploying advanced manufacturing technologies, such as heavy 3D printing and AI-driven automation, to repair broken US industrial supply chains.

For instance, inside an advanced Tennessee facility, a giant three-armed robot called MedUSA crafted a three-by-five-foot nuclear pressure vessel by guiding molten steel into place. Nearby was a large 12-foot model of an impact limiter, made from strong plastic instead of the usual wood. These were battle tests for the future of American industry.

America’s industrial sector is facing severe operational hurdles, driven by irregular supply chains and a shortage of skilled workers. These issues have created extreme delays in infrastructure sectors like hydropower, where acquiring major custom components can now take over ten years.

Over 350 leaders gathered at ORNL for the Materials and Manufacturing Innovation Days. They discussed ways to speed up the adoption of advanced manufacturing technologies.

The goal of M2IND was simple yet ambitious: remove the administrative and technical obstacles slowing advanced technology, and turn laboratory breakthroughs into factory-floor reality before time runs out.

“We want to make sure we have input from industry to help guide our research and ensure that the work at Oak Ridge and the Manufacturing Demonstration Facility (MDF) is valuable to U.S. manufacturers and takes into account the supply chains needed to commercialize new technologies,” said MDF Director Ryan Dehoff.

Fast-track advanced manufacturing

The event featured two large 3D-printed nuclear energy structures. Researchers worked with the University of Maine to print a glass-fiber polymer model of an impact limiter. This massive component protects spent nuclear fuel shipping containers during transport and replaces traditional wood designs. 

Scientists also used a three-arm robotic system to print a steel pressure vessel with complex domed geometry. This project shows how additive manufacturing can produce large metal parts that usually face production issues. 

Standard reactor vessels use large-scale forging and welding, which face severe domestic capacity limits. The 3D-printed vessel served as a test case to evaluate additive manufacturing as a viable alternative. 

Supply chain issues

Participants highlighted urgent needs for resilient supply chains, alternative materials, and faster part qualification. They also pushed to combine manufacturing with AI, robotics, and digital engineering. New partnerships were formed to quickly turn laboratory research into practical tools for manufacturers.

Representatives from four Department of Energy offices and defense officials joined leaders from energy, manufacturing, and technology sectors at the event. Together, several key obstacles facing American industry were identified. These challenges include limited local capacity for large metal parts and long component lead times. 

ORNL formed key industrial partnerships to bring research into practical factory use. Yet, as forum participants repeatedly emphasized, printing a part is only half the battle. Getting it certified for real-world use is where momentum often dies.

To bridge that gap, ORNL announced a joint research effort with Idaho National Laboratory to standardize digital qualification methods across different facilities

Researchers hope to give regulators the data needed to certify 3D-printed nuclear and energy components in months rather than years. They plan to do this using real-time sensors, machine learning, and defect-tracking algorithms during the build process.

With new partnerships signed with energy titans like SLB and Kairos Power, the push is clear. Urgency has replaced routine. America is racing to rebuild its domestic manufacturing core, starting right on the laboratory floor.

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Bluecore Energy, a startup building small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs) on floating barges, announced an oversubscribed $50 million seed round led by Silverton Partners.

Within just nine months of launch, Bluecore Energy has rapidly accelerated its path toward floating nuclear power by securing a port terminal, receiving its first barge, and starting construction on a test reactor.

Designed specifically for commercial applications, the reactor incorporates multiple layers of protective shielding and continuous water-based cooling to ensure safe, resilient operation out at sea.

The company’s founder, Kofi Asante, announced in the LinkedIn post: “Our focus is simple. Create and deliver zero-emission energy as safely and quickly as possible. Over 3 billion people live within an hour of water. We want to power them all.” 

Powering roughly 15,000 homes

Bluecore Energy emerged from stealth on 21 July with $10 million in pre-seed funding to deploy floating SMRs directly on mobile barges. 

The startup is the first SMR developer based inside a major U.S. shipping hub, operating directly out of its headquarters at the Port of Long Beach, California. 

The goal is to build a 10 MWe water-cooled reactor system using established maritime nuclear physics enclosed in steel pressure vessels and concrete shielding. The reactor will be capable of powering roughly 15,000 homes and can operate for years on a single fueling.

Designed to be modular, multiple units can be chained together to scale up and deliver reliable, long-term power to major ports, utilities, AI data centers, offshore facilities, and energy-constrained coastal communities.

Bluecore’s initial target is its hometown Port of Long Beach — the first American port to publicly back floating nuclear energy. 

“Nuclear energy at sea is not a new idea. Our opportunity is to take lessons from decades of maritime nuclear experience and combine them with modern engineering to build systems for a new generation of commercial applications,” stated Asante, who is a former Uber Freight executive.

The startup has already secured and delivered its first physical barge alongside an electric test reactor to its port site. This will allow the engineering team to actively construct, test, and refine system components in real-world conditions. 

Alongside these hands-on development milestones, Bluecore is rapidly advancing its formal regulatory, design classification, and commercialization pathways by deepening its technical engagement with both the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the US Coast Guard.

Accelerating development

Its platform leverages offshore mobility to overcome land-based energy constraints. 

The company’s small modular reactors will be mounted on mobile barges that can be moored or anchored like offshore oil rigs. These will be connected directly to land infrastructure using high-capacity subsea power cables. Positioned out in open waters, the units naturally draw on the ocean for continuous cooling. 

According to TechCrunch, this seed round drew strong support from returning pre-seed backers, including Slauson & Co., Harlem Capital, and Ripple co-founder Chris Larsen. And high-profile new investors, such as Collab Capital, Kevin Hart’s HartBeat Ventures, and angel investors from Tesla, Uber, Amazon, and Google.

With the new capital, Bluecore will place its first order for nuclear fuel. The primary operational challenge facing the company is navigating hardware supply chain issues. 

The startup, staffed by veterans from SpaceX, Rivian, and Navy submarine units, is already undergoing joint design review with the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Coast Guard.

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