Bodycote, the world’s leading provider of heat treatment and specialist thermal processing services, has entered a strategic collaboration with Swedish advanced nuclear developer Blykalla to evaluate the use of Hot Isostatic Pressing (HIP) for manufacturing reactor components using Blykalla’s proprietary materials.
The goal is to qualify advanced manufacturing routes capable of withstanding the conditions of a lead-cooled reactor environment.
With the largest operational HIP capacity in the Western world, Bodycote brings extensive expertise in the development and industrialisation of complex, high-integrity components. Its facility in Surahammar, Sweden, is ideally suited to support both serial production of small precision parts and large-scale nuclear components.
HIP is a process that combines high temperature and isostatic gas pressure to eliminate porosity and consolidate powders into fully dense parts. Its ability to enable novel geometries and hybrid designs makes it particularly well suited to components exposed to molten lead in next-generation reactors.
Ian Tough, Market Development Manager at Bodycote said:
“This project brings together complementary strengths. By combining Blykalla’s innovative reactor materials with our HIP expertise, we can accelerate the development of components that meet the demanding performance requirements of next-generation nuclear. We are proud to contribute to this important step forward in clean, secure energy.”
Blykalla, Sweden’s only developer of advanced SMRs, brings more than two decades of research into corrosion-tolerant steels designed for molten lead. Their SEALER technology — a compact 55 MWe lead-cooled fast reactor — is designed to deliver scalable, low-carbon baseload energy for industrial applications.
Jacob Stedman, CEO at Blykalla said:
“Working with Bodycote allows us to explore more efficient, scalable manufacturing routes for our most critical components. Bodycote’s HIP capabilities are a strong match for the material performance demands of our SEALER technology. This collaboration strengthens our ability to build a robust and industrialised European supply chain, for advanced nuclear deployment in Sweden and beyond.”
As part of the collaboration, Bodycote will lead the development and optimisation of HIP processes tailored to Blykalla’s materials — including the design of test canisters, HIP cycle execution, and mechanical property documentation. Blykalla will define material specifications and conduct corrosion and performance testing in molten lead environments. Together, the partners aim to establish HIP as a qualified, production-ready manufacturing method for SEALER components.
ENDS
About Bodycote
Bodycote plc is the world’s leading provider of precision heat treatment and specialist thermal processing services, delivering vital metallurgical solutions that improve the performance, reliability, and longevity of critical components. Serving customers across aerospace, automotive, energy, defence, medical, and other industrial sectors, Bodycote combines global scale with local expertise to meet demanding technical and sustainability requirements. Through its global scale (with more than 100 facilities worldwide), the company is committed to delivering innovative solutions that advance performance, sustainability and competitive advantage for its customers. www.bodycote.com
About Blykalla
Blykalla is the Swedish developer of advanced SMRs, commercializing lead-cooled fast reactors for industrial use. Based on 20+ years of research, their SEALER technology is a compact 55 MWe unit designed to offer a safe, efficient, and scalable power solution. With strong backing from partners such as Uniper, ABB, OKG, and the Royal Institute of Technology, Blykalla is well positioned to deliver Europe’s first advanced SMR, providing reliable and sustainable baseload energy to power AI and clean industries.
For further information, please contact:
Ian Tough, Market Development Manager, Bodycote HIP
Email: [email protected]
Alexandra Teorell, Blykalla
Email: [email protected]
