Posted on 10/16/2017 12:08:06 PM PDT by BenLurkin
ASRC of Beltsville, Md., has test fired a subscale propellant injector built via additive manufacturing, or 3D printing, paving the way for a version that could support whichever engine United Launch Alliance chooses to replace the Russian-built RD-180 on the Atlas 5 rocket.
ASRC's Federal Technical Services division conducted the full-power test in April, retiring risk on an engine component that could potentially be built in a quarter of the time of previous techniques.
We reduced production time for this injector to eight days, which would have been over a month using traditional machining," Joseph Sims, ASRC Federal Technical Services project manager, told SpaceNews. "We also reduced parts count from five parts to a single part."
(Excerpt) Read more at space.com ...
That’s pretty cool. 3D printing a major part for a rocket motor.
“United Launch Alliance chooses to replace the Russian-built RD-180 on the Atlas 5 rocket.”
What could ever go wrong with that?/s
Mass 3-D printing is VITAL for space colonization as it allows a single manufacturing machine that can make multiple different complex parts.
All you need is a smelter/refiner machine to make the feeding materials for a 3D printer and you have reduced the sheer amount of material you would ever need to ship to a colony on the moon or mars.
So instead of needing ship tons and tons of finished product to a colony, you would only need to ship the 3-D printing machine and the smelter/refiner machines. and even some 3-D printing machine are being made that can make parts for even bigger 3-D printing machines, so the only thing you need to ship are the parts that cannot be made by the 3-D printer yet.
Fantastic idea.
Send a small machine, that makes bigger machines.
Build your own mining machines right there.
use the mined material to make more
That must be why all the time travelers from the future all report houses that look like domes. Easiest shape to print and strongest too.
Boy, this would have been handy aboard NX-01. They were ALWAYS having problems with their plasma injectors!
and what if the "bigger machine" builds an even bigger machine
...what could go wrong...
Send a small machine, that makes bigger machines.
Build your own mining machines right there.
use the mined material to make more
= = =
Be sure to compensate the native inhabitants.
The big rocket companies have been looking closely at 3-D printing for several years.
The structure of regeneratively cooled engines is inherently very complex and very expensive to manufacture. It all has to be perfect because any flaw can cause catastrophic failure and loss of the mission.
3-D printing is perfect for this kind of situation, and offers the potential for very substantial cost savings while maintaining quality.
GE developed 3D printed fuel injectors for jet engines several years ago. Lighter and stronger.
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