NAAREA and Phoenix Manufacture to produce AM parts for XAMR nuclear microreactor
January 24, 2025
France’s NAAREA (Nuclear Abundant Affordable Resourceful Energy for All), a company developing nuclear microreactors, has partnered with Phoenix Manufacture, a specialist in the industrialisation of complex devices for the military, nuclear, aerospace and robotics sectors, to mass produce NAAREA’s XAMR (eXtra Advanced Nuclear Reactor) molten salt fast microreactor.
The aim of the partnership is to structure the industrialisation of the XAMR, integrating the key phases of the project: design, prototyping, first-of-a-kind (FOAK) manufacturing and mass production. To meet these challenges, NAAREA and Phoenix Manufacture will harness technologies such as Additive Manufacturing and envisage creating a joint plant, including specially designed reprocessing facilities.
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The XAMR microreactor is a low-carbon energy source that will be used to replace fossil fuels in local electricity networks, thus reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The reactors also contribute to the transition towards a more sustainable economy, thanks to their ability to provide constant, reliable energy to back up intermittent renewable energies such as wind and solar power.
The collaboration between NAAREA and Phoenix Manufacture is based on five main phases extending until 2032:
- Preliminary phase: validation of raw materials and the manufacturability of parts designed by NAAREA for Additive Manufacturing.
- Prototyping of the components of the XAMR® microreactor.
- Series production: providing the necessary parts for the mass production.
- Scaling up production capacity: study on the creation of a joint production facility for components of the XAMR microreactor, pooling of resources and mutual skill development.
- Reprocessing: evaluation of solutions for recycling and recovering waste material resulting from production and the recycling of used components. This partnership reflects an innovative approach, with the incorporation of Additive Manufacturing as a production process. AM machines will be used to produce components for the XAMR microreactor. Phoenix Manufacture will lend its expertise to assist NAAREA with design reviews and the manufacturing of these parts throughout the project phases. This collaboration reflects NAAREA’s commitment to working with French partners, contributing to technological development and promoting local French industrial capabilities.
“We have chosen to rely on the expertise and skill of Phoenix Manufacture, a French company that will contribute to the design of an XAMR microreactor made in France. Incorporating Additive Manufacturing represents a major asset for us: it will allow us to produce parts with consistent quality controlled in situ at each step of the manufacturing process. Additive Manufacturing also makes it possible to lower production costs, reduce assembly needs and meet the highest standards in terms of safety and security, which remains our absolute priority,” explained Jean-Luc Alexandre, Founder and CEO of NAAREA.
Marco Calcamuggi, CEO and co-founder of Phoenix Manufacture, added, “We are proud of this strategic partnership with NAAREA, since Additive Manufacturing is at the heart of our vision for French reindustrialisation. We firmly believe that this disruptive technology is profoundly transforming all industries, in particular the nuclear sector. In our collaboration with NAAREA, we share a common ambition: to become key agents of change. Together, we are creating positive momentum to strengthen sectors contributing to sovereignty and shape an ambitious technological future.”
