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TECHNOLOGY LICENSING OPPORTUNITY: AddiSteel HT
Contact and place of performance
Satya Srinivasan
Los Alamos, NM 87545
USA
Additively Manufactured Ferritic Steel with Enhanced High-Temperature Performance Grade 91 steel is one of the most widely used structural metals in power plants and candidate for advanced nuclear reactors, but it loses much of its strength when operating temperatures climb above 500°C. Researchers at Los Alamos National Laboratory solved that problem by 3D-printing Grade 91 steel using a powder bed fusion proces...
View moreHow it Works
A laser selectively melts thin layers of steel powder, one on top of another, to build a solid part from the ground up. LANL’s innovation lies in a proprietary combination of laser power, scanning speed and layer orientation that produces an unusually fine and complex grain structure with a combination of ductile and strong grains during printing. The steels thermal history during the build process creates the microstructure distribution of around 80 % by volume Bainitic grains with a uniform distribution of second phase particles and dislocations, surrounded by 20 % by volume Martensitic grains. This is fundamentally different from what conventional casting or forging can achieve. Each new layer also partially heat-treats the layer beneath it, so the finished part may need little or no additional processing before use.
Technical Description
Conventional Grade 91 steel relies on a tempered martensite structure that loses strength significantly at high temperatures. The additive process instead produces a layered architecture containing multiple distinct microstructural zones within each laser pass, including regions with extremely fine grains, regions rich in strengthening precipitates and small pockets of martensite at the boundaries between passes. Working together, these features resist deformation at elevated temperatures far more effectively than the uniform microstructure of wrought steel.
Testing confirms the advantage across the board. At 600°C, the printed steel reaches a yield strength of 650 MPa versus 350 MPa for the wrought version. Even after being held at 650°C for 1000 hours — a test simulating long-term service — the printed material retains 650 MPa of yield strength at room temperature. The patent covers process parameters for both Grade 91 and Grade 92 steel compositions, broadening the range of potential applications.
Advantages
Market Applications
TRL 5
U.S. Patent No. 11,471,946
LA-UR-26-23628
LANL Tech Partnerships: Unlock the Innovative Potential
Los Alamos National Laboratory offers a wide range of cutting-edge technologies and capabilities that may provide your company with a competitive edge in the market and unlock the innovative potential that can enhance, refine, and revolutionize your products.
LANL’s licensing program focuses on moving inventions developed by our researchers to commercial innovations. Patented and patent pending inventions and copyrighted software are available to existing and start-up companies through exclusive and non-exclusive licensing agreements. For specific discussions, please contact [email protected].
Note: This is not a call for external services for the development of this technology.
https://www.lanl.gov/engage/collaboration/feynman-center/partner-with-us/licensing-technology
m.lanl.gov/tech-search
The Department of Energy, through Triad National Security, LLC at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), is offering a technology licensing opportunity for AddiSteel HT, an additively manufactured ferritic steel designed for enhanced high-temperature performance. This innovation utilizes a powder bed fusion process with specific laser settings to 3D-print Grade 91 and Grade 92 steel, creating a unique microstructure that remains up to 85% stronger at 600°C than conventionally manufactured counterparts while maintaining ductility. The technology is protected under U.S. Patent No. 11,471,946 B2, which covers the proprietary manufacturing method and the resulting material architecture. This opportunity is identified by solicitation number S-133632 and categorized under NAICS 332117 Powder Metallurgy Part Manufacturing and PSC AG13 Energy R&D Services; Energy Supply; Experimental Development.
The patented process uses a specific combination of laser power, scanning speed, and layer orientation to produce a grain structure that resists deformation at elevated temperatures. Because the method employs standard industrial 3D printers and commercially available steel powder, it provides a lower-cost alternative to nickel-based superalloys for complex components in the nuclear, aerospace, automotive, and chemical processing sectors. Testing at TRL 5 confirms that the material retains high yield strength even after 1,000 hours of exposure to 650°C. This special notice is not a call for external development services but an invitation for exclusive or non-exclusive licensing agreements to commercialize the technology.
This licensing opportunity is managed by Satya Srinivasan at Los Alamos, New Mexico. There is no set-aside designated for this notice. Interested parties must respond by the deadline of June 5, 2026. Detailed inquiries regarding the manufacturing parameters for Grade 91 and Grade 92 compositions or the specific licensing terms may be directed to the LANL technology partnerships contact.
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