![]() How this works is that first we send a 3D printer onto a moon or a planet where we want to build a base. Many other European agencies have also been using 3D parts to build lunar bases. ![]() To keep up with SpaceX, NASA also sent a 3D printer produced by California based company “Made in Space” to the ISS. This valve is now a proprietary unit in all the Falcon 9 flights. One can easily see the speed gains in manufacturing once the process is automated safely. Unlike its predecessor which was manufactured manually and took over two weeks to build, this valve only took two days. The valve performed quite well with the help of high pressure liquid oxygen and the use of cryogenic temperatures & high vibrations. The valve was used in one of the rocket’s Merlin 1D engines. This rocket consisted of a payload to orbit that consisted of ‘Thaicom 5 Telecommunication’ satellites. The first 3D printed part they used was a rocket engine’s main oxidizer valve which flew alongside a SpaceX rocket on January 5th 2014. It was used to ferry astronauts in and out of the International Space Station. The first entry level use case, the Dragon 3.0 was mainly a part of SpaceX’s entry into competition against NASA who had been trying something similar for a long time. They first started using 3D printing to create their emergency escape rockets. In simple words, SpaceX now has the capability to convert a simple piece of metal into a rocket using their high-end algorithms. Subtractive manufacturing processes, as opposed to additive manufacturing processes, allow space companies to shape parts by removing material from them. The most straightforward method of accomplishing this is to alter production procedures.Īdditive manufacturing processes, as opposed to subtractive manufacturing processes, allow space companies to build up parts by gradually adding material to them. The key to achieving rapid engine development is to limit the amount of parts required, which reduces the time required to build the engine as well as the interruption caused by supply chain failures. So the process doesn't create a blueprint, but the DNA for an object," he added, to Dezeen.“We are now planning to construct the parts of our Merlin engine using Leap Motion Controller which will be controlled via the Oculus Rift Virtual Reality Headset as well as a high-end metal 3D printer” – said Musk when asked about the process. "You're telling the algorithm what you need to do and then the algorithm is kind of growing the object with the performance you had in mind, with the specifications. "We compare the process to growing rather than designing," said Pham to Dezeen. Source: Hyperganic Technologies AG / Hyperganic Instead of translating the design specifications into CAD files, its expressed as formulas on an Excel sheet in a format legible to Hyperganic's algorithm.īased on mathematical formulas, the algorithm uses the data to generate a final geometry from the base to the tip. In creating the engine, the rocket scientist began by assigning the core features of a rocket engine - the shape of the combustion chamber and the crucial cooling performance. "Our engine in contrast is made up of only one piece, that has been designed to have the lowest weight and most effective cooling, and so the highest possible performance for a given rocket," he added, according to Dezeen. ![]() "The components are engineered separately, so the design is not actually holistically optimized to be the best, most efficient it can be," he said. "In a rocket, the cooling channels are generally welded onto the combustion chamber, which through wear and tear can cause errors and explosions," said Duy-Anh Pham, Hyperganic's design director, according to Dezeen. ![]() The outer shell of the 3D-printed rocket engine. ![]()
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