The project is the first funded research initiative of the Additive Manufacturing Cooperative Research Centre (AMCRC) and is supporting South Australian nuclear engineering and technology company entX to transition its GenX betavoltaic power generator from prototype to pre-commercial manufacture.
Developed in partnership with the University of Adelaide, GenX is a next-generation nuclear battery that combines additive manufacturing with advanced surface engineering to deliver exceptionally high-power density in an ultra-compact package.
Conventional power systems often struggle to provide continuous energy where maintenance, refuelling or solar power are impractical, including spacecraft, autonomous underwater vehicles and remote defence surveillance platforms.
“Reliable, long-life power remains one of the biggest bottlenecks for space, subsea and defence systems,” said Dr Scott Edwards, entX general manager for space and defence.
“GenX fundamentally shifts what’s possible. By re-engineering betavoltaic technology into ultra-thin, additively manufactured devices, we’re achieving power densities that were previously out of reach and opening the door to entirely new mission profiles.”
At the heart of the GenX system is a novel manufacturing approach that integrates additive manufacturing with advanced coating and thin-film deposition, blurring the traditional boundaries between 3D printing and surface engineering.
Nanoscale layers of metals, metal oxides and semiconductors are deposited sequentially to create complex functional architectures, layer by layer. The result is an ultra-thin betavoltaic film that exceeds current global performance benchmarks.
“This isn’t an incremental advance – it’s a genuine step change,” said Professor Drew Evans from the University of Adelaide, who helped develop the GenX prototype and will lead the research project.
“By combining new semiconductor deposition techniques with additive manufacturing and surface engineering, we’ve demonstrated betavoltaic devices with power densities that simply weren’t achievable using conventional methods.”
Over the next 14 months, entX and the University of Adelaide will validate both the GenX device and its manufacturing process, preparing it for evaluation by potential customers.
The work will focus on transitioning key prototype activities – including physical vapour deposition to form high-efficiency electrical junctions – into a fully integrated, scalable additive manufacturing process at entX’s certified radiation facility in Adelaide.
Additive manufacturing will also be used to rapidly prototype radiation-shielded encasements, ensuring the technology can be safely integrated into space, defence and remote systems.
AMCRC managing director Simon Marriott said the $1.8 million project demonstrated how additive manufacturing can bridge the gap between laboratory research and real-world production.
“This project shows how additive manufacturing can take breakthrough research and make it manufacturable at scale,” he said.
“By supporting the transition from prototype to integrated production, AMCRC is helping Australian innovators bring world-leading technologies to market faster and with lower risk.”
The project is expected to deliver a world-first high-power betavoltaic demonstrator, positioning entX – and Australia – at the forefront of advanced betavoltaic manufacturing.
“It will unlock new applications across space, defence and remote systems, and establish sovereign capability in strategically important technology areas,” Evans said.
“As global demand grows for long-duration, maintenance-free power solutions, GenX shows how additive manufacturing is enabling entirely new classes of products and turning Australia’s research strengths into globally competitive manufacturing outcomes.”