Freemelt Wins $5.7M Order to 3D Print Components for World's Largest Fusion Reactor

Tungsten at the Edge of What 3D Printing Can Do

Fusion for Energy (F4E), the European body that manages Europe's contribution to the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), has placed a significant manufacturing order with Swedish metal AM company Freemelt. The contract calls for 33,000 tungsten-based components destined for JT-60SA, a European-Japanese superconducting tokamak in Naka, Japan. The base value is 55 million Swedish kronor, roughly $5.7 million, with options that could push the total to 84 million kronor, or about $8.7 million. Deliveries run over two years through 2028, with most parts shipping in 2027.

The choice of tungsten is not arbitrary. Inside a tokamak, plasma-facing materials are bombarded by extreme heat and high-energy particles. Tungsten's combination of high melting point, low sputtering rate, and high thermal conductivity makes it one of the few metals that can survive that environment over the long term. The ITER program and its partner tokamaks need these components in large quantities and with tight tolerances, which is exactly the kind of challenge metal powder bed fusion was built to address.

Freemelt's Industrial Pivot

Freemelt has spent recent years repositioning itself from a research-focused electron beam melting machine vendor into a qualified metal component manufacturer. This order is a public validation of that pivot. The company is delivering through its Manufacturing business area, working with established partners across the full value chain from raw material to finished, qualified parts.

The contract builds on an existing relationship with F4E. Freemelt tripled net sales last year, and a prior F4E order was part of the driver. The company also grew its installed machine base by 40 percent and made its first deliveries to Asia in the same period. CEO Daniel Gidlund framed the new order as evidence that Freemelt's tungsten expertise is translating into real commercial traction in strategically important markets.

Why Fusion Matters for 3D Printing

Fusion energy has long been treated as a 30-year-away prospect, but the past few years have seen a measurable acceleration. ITER is expected to achieve first plasma in the coming years. Private fusion companies are raising substantial capital. All of that progress depends on components that are difficult to manufacture using conventional methods.

Tungsten's material properties make it notoriously hard to machine. Near-net-shape printing lets manufacturers approach final geometry directly from powder, reducing material waste and lead time for complex internal cooling channels and thin-walled structures. For a program that needs tens of thousands of qualified parts on a tight schedule, that advantage is not theoretical. It is operational.

The Bigger Picture

Freemelt is not the only Swedish AM company scoring fusion contracts, but this is one of the largest publicly disclosed tungsten component orders for a fusion program. The two-year delivery window also gives the market a clear signal: fusion is moving from experimental physics toward industrial supply chains. If JT-60SA and ITER demonstrate sustained performance, the follow-on demand for qualified tungsten parts could dwarf this initial contract.

For the 3D printing industry, the deal reinforces a broader trend. Metal AM is no longer just for prototyping or aerospace brackets. It is becoming the manufacturing method of record for components where material waste, geometric complexity, and lead time all matter. Fusion is an extreme case, but the same logic applies across automotive, medical, and defense markets.