The Y-12 National Security Complex has developed a technology that uses microwave sintering, bonding, and assembly techniques for manufacturing metal and ceramic parts.

Sintering is the process of compacting a powdered material into a solid mass through heat or pressure without liquefaction. Y-12 has developed a way to make parts at 60 percent density, assemble them, and then use molten metal to bond the porous structure into a solid metal or ceramic component.

Using Y-12’s technology, a manufacturer would only need a few small pieces of equipment, computer design files, and a selection of raw materials to create a product. This flexibility significantly decreases time and expense, allowing for rapid prototyping. 

With a nearly limitless variety of combinations of mechanical and thermal properties, the technology is extremely versatile and has great potential for applications in armor and ballistic protection systems, propulsion, and projectiles, to name just a few.

Incredible creations like these from NNSA’s labs and sites are also able to transition to the public sector through a mechanism known as technology transfer.

Research at NNSA spans the entire electromagnetic spectrum – take a look at findings at other frequencies and how they help further the missions of the Nuclear Security Enterprise.