Freemelt joins Proxima Fusion's Alpha Alliance to supply E-PBF tungsten components for stellarator fusion demonstrator

Freemelt signed a memorandum of understanding with German fusion developer Proxima Fusion GmbH, joining the Alpha Alliance, an industrial and research consortium backing Proxima's stellarator-based Alpha demonstrator. Freemelt will contribute its electron beam powder bed fusion process and tungsten manufacturing experience to the design, production and validation of plasma-facing components, with initial work targeting divertor and first-wall parts. The two companies plan to proceed in phases, covering design studies, prototyping and testing, with specific project scope and deliverables to be defined in follow-on agreements.

For Freemelt, the deal extends a Swedish E-PBF specialist, whose electron beam process suits tungsten's high melting point better than laser-based powder bed fusion, into a vertical where few AM vendors have credible reference work: fusion reactor internals must survive extreme heat flux and neutron exposure, conditions few metal AM processes are qualified to meet. CEO Daniel Gidlund described fusion as a strategic focus area, and alliance membership gives Freemelt visibility inside a demonstrator's design phase before component specifications harden, a stage where manufacturing routes tend to get locked into future qualification documents. Proxima co-founder Lucio Milanese cited Freemelt's tungsten and additive manufacturing expertise as directly relevant to advancing the Alpha program.