An Australian-led additive manufacturing research project is set to transform how long-duration space and defence missions are powered, overcoming one of the most persistent barriers facing operations in space, subsea and extreme environments: reliable, maintenance-free energy.

Through its first funded research project, the Additive Manufacturing Cooperative Research Centre (AMCRC) is helping South Australian nuclear engineering and technology company entX transition its GenX Betavoltaic Power Generator prototype to pre-commercial manufacture.

Developed in collaboration with Adelaide University, GenX is a next-generation nuclear battery that combines additive manufacturing and advanced surface engineering to deliver unprecedented power density in an ultra-compact form.

Traditional power sources struggle to provide continuous energy where maintenance, refuelling or solar access is impractical – such as spacecrafts, unmanned underwater vehicles and remote defence surveillance systems.

“Reliable, long-life power is one of the biggest bottlenecks facing space, subsea and defence systems,” said Dr Scott Edwards, entX General Manager, Space and Defence.

“GenX fundamentally changes what’s possible. By re-engineering betavoltaics as ultra-thin, additively manufactured devices, we’re achieving power densities that were previously out of reach and enabling entirely new mission profiles.”

At the core of GenX is a novel manufacturing process that integrates additive manufacturing with advanced coating and thin-film deposition, blurring the traditional boundaries between surface engineering and 3D printing.

Nanoscale metal, metal-oxide and semiconductor layers are deposited sequentially to build complex functional architectures layer by layer, resulting in ultra-thin betavoltaic films that exceed current global performance benchmarks.

“This is not an incremental improvement – it’s a genuine step-change,” said Professor Drew Evans, who helped develop the GenX prototype and will lead the research project at Adelaide University.

“By combining novel semiconductor deposition methods with additive manufacturing and surface engineering, we’ve demonstrated betavoltaic devices with power densities that simply weren’t achievable using conventional approaches.”

Over the next 14 months, entX and Adelaide University will validate both the GenX device and its manufacturing process to prepare for customer evaluation.

The project will focus on transitioning critical prototype activities – including physical vapour deposition (PVD) to form high-efficiency electrical junctions – into an integrated, scalable additive manufacturing process at entX’s certified radiation facility in Adelaide.

Additive manufacturing will also rapidly prototype radiation-shield encasements that ensure safe integration into space, defence and remote systems.

“This $1.8m project is a clear example of how additive manufacturing can take breakthrough research and make it manufacturable at scale,” said Simon Marriott, Managing Director of the Additive Manufacturing CRC.

“By supporting the transition from laboratory prototype to integrated production, AMCRC is helping Australian innovators bring world-leading technologies to market faster and with lower risk.”

The project will deliver a world-first, high-power betavoltaic demonstrator, positioning entX and Australia at the forefront of high-power betavoltaic manufacturing.

“It will unlock new applications across space, defence and remote systems, and establish sovereign capability in strategically important technology areas,” according to Professor Evans.

“As global demand grows for long-duration, maintenance-free power systems, GenX demonstrates how additive manufacturing is enabling entirely new classes of products, turning Australia’s research strengths into globally competitive manufacturing outcomes.”

Media contacts:

Professor Drew Evans, Dean of Research, College of Engineering and Information Technology, Adelaide University. M: +61 438 602 644 E: drew.evans@adelaide.edu.au

Dr Scott Edwards, entX General Manager, Space and Defence M: +61 487 943 578 E: scott@entx.com.au

Jana Kuthe, Marketing and Communications Manager, Additive Manufacturing CRC Ltd. M: +61 416 735 666 E: jana.kuthe@amcrc.com.au