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SpaceX's newest rocket engine is printed
When Elon Musk unveiled the new version of SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft, one of the interesting technologies Elon pointed out were the new SuperDraco thrusters. These will be used to land the Dragon capsule with rocket thrust, without using parachutes:
Did you catch Elon pointing out that these engines are printed?
SpaceX Completes Qualification Testing of SuperDraco Thruster:
The SuperDraco engine chamber is manufactured using state-of-the-art direct metal laser sintering (DMLS), otherwise known as 3D printing. The chamber is regeneratively cooled and printed in Inconel, a high-performance superalloy that offers both high strength and toughness for increased reliability.
“Through 3D printing, robust and high-performing engine parts can be created at a fraction of the cost and time of traditional manufacturing methods,” said Elon Musk, Chief Designer and CEO. “SpaceX is pushing the boundaries of what additive manufacturing can do in the 21st century, ultimately making our vehicles more efficient, reliable and robust than ever before.”
The SuperDraco engines can also provide an escape mechanism for the Dragon spacecraft in case of a launch failure:
Unlike previous launch escape systems that were jettisoned after the first few minutes of launch, SpaceX’s launch system is integrated into the Dragon spacecraft. Eight SuperDraco engines built into the side walls of the Dragon spacecraft will produce up to 120,000 pounds of axial thrust to carry astronauts to safety should an emergency occur during launch.
As a result, Dragon will be able to provide astronauts with the unprecedented ability to escape from danger at any point during the ascent trajectory, not just in the first few minutes. In addition, the eight SuperDracos provide redundancy, so that even if one engine fails an escape can still be carried out successfully.
Here is a demonstration of the EOS 3D printer used to produce the SuperDraco:
3D printers are usually thought of as table-top devices, like Makerbot or Reprap, which use droplets of liquid plastic. Their most frequent use is to produce prototypes of items to be mass-produced by more conventional methods. Their range of application grows into aerospace and even printing organs and blood vessels.
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