For the first time ever, 3D-printed safety components have been installed in a commercial nuclear reactor, marking the latest advancement in 3D printing, or additive manufacturing, for nuclear power. The components were brackets for a fuel assembly. (The fuel assembly is the bundle of rods full of fissionable material that powers nuclear reactors.) The brackets were produced by scientists at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Oak Ridge, Tenn. ORNL worked with the French nuclear fuel supplier Framatome, which produced the boiling water reactor fuel assembly for which the brackets were designed. The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) then installed the 3D-printed brackets at its Browns Ferry nuclear power plant in Athens, Ala. “Additive manufacturing is a unique and impactful way to manufacture parts, offering significant, long-term benefits for the nuclear energy industry and our customers,” said John Strumpell, manager of North America Fuel R&D at Framatome, in an email to …