French nuclear energy business Framatome has inaugurated a 6,000 m2 additive manufacturing center in Romans-sur-Isère, France.
The facility, which opened on July 2, produces metal components for the primary circuits of French nuclear reactors using wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) systems supplied by Amsterdam-based MX3D.
Named the Amiral Bernard-Antoine Morio de l’Isle Additive Manufacturing Center, the facility cost €25 million (US$28.6 million) and was built in under a year from groundbreaking to full operational status. It is the first industrial-scale AM facility of its kind in Europe’s nuclear sector.
“With the Amiral Bernard-Antoine Morio de l’Isle center fully operational, we have entered a new era for truly large-scale Additive Manufacturing in Nuclear Energy,” said Gijs van der Velden, CEO of MX3D.
Scaling WAAM for Nuclear Production
What the center actually makes spans a considerable weight range, from one-ton impellers to structures between 20 and 25 tons, all with complex geometries that would traditionally require forging. Framatome says WAAM reduces raw material waste and energy consumption compared to conventional methods and shortens lead times, though the company has not published specific figures for either claim.
MX3D WAAM systems have previously been used for structural components including a stainless steel bridge installed in Amsterdam in 2021. That project demonstrated the process at a scale closer to architectural than industrial, which makes the Framatome installation a substantially larger and more demanding operational commitment.
That demand extends beyond the commercial. The French defense energy industry is also listed among the center’s intended customers, positioning the facility as part of a broader industrial sovereignty argument in France. Framatome described it as a tool to secure the nuclear supply chain and reduce dependence on external production capacity.
Whether the center delivers on that ambition depends on whether WAAM components can consistently meet the qualification standards required for primary circuit parts in nuclear reactors, which are among the most stringent in any industrial sector.
Qualification Before Industrial Deployment
Successful qualification has become a prerequisite for deploying WAAM in safety-critical nuclear manufacturing.
Notably, Framatome and MX3D spent three years validating WAAM for nuclear applications before the Romans-sur-Isère facility was announced, with Framatome’s head of advanced and additive manufacturing confirming the process had demonstrated the reliability and repeatability required to meet the company’s standards. In that sense, the €25 million facility is the production outcome of a qualification process that was already underway.
Elsewhere, Australian firm AML3D delivered copper-nickel components for the US Navy’s Virginia-Class nuclear submarine program in under five weeks, a job that conventional manufacturing would have taken 17 months to complete. The qualification regime for submarine components is not the same as the one governing French reactor primary circuits, so the comparison has limits.
Even so, it demonstrates that WAAM is already being deployed within a highly regulated nuclear-related supply chain where quality assurance, traceability, and manufacturing consistency are essential.
3D Printing Industry is inviting speakers for its 2026 Additive Manufacturing Applications (AMA) series, covering Energy, Healthcare, Automotive and Mobility, Aerospace, Space and Defense, and Software. Each online event focuses on real production deployments, qualification, and supply chain integration. Practitioners interested in contributing can complete the call for speakers form here.
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Featured image shows MX3D’s robotic WAAM systems in operation at Framatome’s additive manufacturing center in Romans-sur-Isère, France. Image via Framatome.
