Tungsten, niobium, and tantalum, the metals that can outline the subsequent technology of power and defence know-how, share a standard problem: they’re notoriously troublesome to course of and largely sourced from geopolitically delicate areas.
Because the UK strikes to scale back its dependence on overseas provide chains for strategic supplies, Loughborough College is tackling each issues without delay, utilizing electron beam know-how (EBM) to course of these supplies domestically in ways in which standard platforms can not.
The Limits of Laser and the Case for EBM
A decade and a half spent pushing laser-based methods to their limits has given Professor Attallah a exact understanding of what these methods can not do. Sure metals, copper, tungsten, tantalum, molybdenum, and niobium, current bodily obstacles that laser processing struggles to beat: some are too reflective, others demand temperatures past sensible thresholds, and a number of other react destructively when uncovered to atmospheric circumstances.
EBM addresses many of those limitations by confining the method to a vacuum atmosphere, eliminating atmospheric interference for oxygen-reactive supplies whereas producing the ability density wanted for metals on the excessive finish of the processing spectrum. These traits make it a pure match for power, aerospace, and defence purposes the place materials efficiency is non-negotiable.
What made Freemelt’s platform compelling for Loughborough was not solely its technical functionality however the diploma of management it locations in researchers’ fingers. Not like closed industrial methods, it permits direct modification of course of variables, testing of non-standard alloys, and growth of totally new workflows.
“Electron beam know-how succeeds the place different additive strategies have struggled,” mentioned Professor Attallah. “The Freemelt system stands out by being open, versatile, and accessible for researchers. It permits us to experiment with parameters, discover new alloys, and develop processes which can be unattainable on closed business platforms.”
The open structure additionally positions the platform for integration with machine learning-driven optimisation, compressing materials qualification timelines, widening the vary of viable alloys, and enhancing construct consistency as necessities evolve.
From the Lab to the Frontier
That freedom is already producing outcomes. Energetic tasks embody tungsten part growth for nuclear fusion infrastructure with Tokamak Vitality and Metamorphic, niobium-based materials analysis for spacecraft propulsion, and a UK–Japan collaboration coordinated by the College of Birmingham analyzing refractory alloy behaviour and oxygen uptake throughout additive processing.
“If we wish to construct nuclear fusion reactors or next-generation spacecraft, we’d like sustainable manufacturing strategies for crucial supplies,” mentioned Professor Attallah. “EBM not solely permits this but additionally affords the scalability and effectivity to make it viable.”
The UK’s Vital Supplies Second
The work underway at Loughborough doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Throughout authorities and trade, the query of how the UK sources, processes, and retains management over crucial supplies has moved from a coverage footnote to a strategic precedence.
In April 2025, the Ministry of Defence printed its first Defence Superior Manufacturing Technique, figuring out additive manufacturing as a key pillar of the British navy’s long-term planning and emphasising its position in strengthening provide chain resilience. The monetary case is documented: a Defence Innovation Unit report estimated that 3D printing 15% of the UK’s defence stock might save £110 million over the subsequent 15 years, with annual internet advantages probably reaching £35.5 million thereafter.
The MoD has translated coverage into concrete programmes. Challenge TAMPA is establishing a multi-supplier framework able to producing stronger, lighter steel elements on the level of want, a direct response to produce chain fragility uncovered by ongoing international conflicts. Additive manufacturing can be being utilized to the UK’s nuclear submarine programmes, together with In Service Submarines and the SSN(A) programme, whereas the Atomic Weapons Institution makes use of the know-how to supply complicated elements.
Loughborough’s adoption of the Freemelt system provides to an increasing base of UK tutorial and industrial customers, reinforcing the nation’s standing in superior supplies analysis.
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Featured picture reveals Professor Moataz Attallah (left) and Mohamed Stated – service technician at Freemelt. Picture by way of Freemelt.