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NASA develops fully 3D printed rocket engine

by：Gewinn 2022-04-27

NASA has put a lot of time and effort into developing 3D printing technology that will allow the use of 3D printers to build complex rocket engine parts. NASA has used 3D printing of copper parts for a rocket engine in April this year, and then scientists 3D printed a copper turbopump, with a test speed of 90,000 revolutions per minute. Now the NASA team has gone a step further, using 3D printing of various components to assemble it into a complete rocket engine and fire tests involving cryogenic liquid hydrogen and oxygen, producing 20,000 pounds of thrust. 3D printing technology is seen as a key technology to improve spacecraft design and make space exploration more affordable. NASA plans to test different propellants in the future, including liquid oxygen and liquid methane, which are the main propellants used by NASA's crewed Mars landings, because liquid oxygen and methane could potentially be made there. NASA said that 75% of the parts in the current rocket engine tests were built using 3D printing technology, and some of the seven tests lasted as long as 10 seconds. Some parts of these 3D printed rocket engine parts Temperatures as high as 6000 degrees Fahrenheit.

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