Chinese aerospace firmGalactic Energy迄今为止，已转向3D打印来建造该国最大的可重复使用的火箭发动机。
Galactic Energy’sWelkin 50吨LOX/煤油发动机features more than 30法苏恩-3D printed parts, including a turbo pump and LOX/kerosene main valve housing. Since integrating these cost and lead time-optimized components, the firm has gone on to verify the engine’s ignition, starting, and transition performance, via a full-system test.
Falcontech的3D打印漏洞
Based in the city of Wuxi, Falcontech is aYinBang- 生产服务提供商，涵盖粉末研发，性能测试，转售，CNC加工，3D打印和等静态压力。实际上，该公司将其业务分为三个部门：特殊的金属粉末，特殊制造技术和3D打印，后者为航空航天，医疗和成型客户提供服务。
To address this demand, Falcontech not only deploys its farm ofEOS，，，，Renishaw和概念激光器，但要呼吁“ Superam” 3D打印设施it bolstered in 2020 with 20 Farsoon systems. Having already used theFS421M，，，，FS301M，，，，andFS271M在3D打印各种航空航天零件时，据说Falcontech的目标是再安装30台Farsoon打印机，总数达到50。
Falcontech拥有其投资组合有潜力开发合并的轻量级航空航天的潜力，这要归功于其复杂，拓扑优化的设计。在被银河能源（Galactic Energial）挖掘之后，该公司的服务似乎正在实现发动机的开发，该发动机可能对未来几年中中国的发射能力至关重要。
Galactic Energy’s Welkin engine
According to Galactic Energy, the Welkin is China’s first reusable large-thrust open-cycle LOX/Kerosene rocket engine. Featuring a variable area pintle type injector, and a unique geometry that combines film and regenerative cooling, the propulsion system is designed to provide 40 tons of variable thrust at a thrust-weight ratio of over 120:1.
Critically, the Welkin’s variable thrust capabilities enable it to drop booster levels for soft landings, while its fault detection and isolation functionalities facilitate continued re-use. As such, it’s said that the engine can be redeployed up to 50 times, putting it in the same reusability category as the Merlin rocket engine developed atSpaceX。
Interestingly, rather than producing the Welkin’s 3D printed parts in-house, Galactic Energy chose to outsource them to Falcontech in 2019. To fulfil this order, the latter deployed Farsoon PBF, as well as DED, and CNC machining, over a four-month period. It’s said that conventionally producing the thrust chamber parts would have taken some 25 days, but 3D printing them took just four.
By redesigning the engine’s turbo pump, it’s also understood that Galactic Energy has managed to improve its efficiency by 5%, and following full-system testing, the operation, structural design, and coordination of each of the Welkin’s assemblies have now been confirmed, moving it a step closer to launch applications.
Once ready, the engine will reportedly be used to power the帕拉斯-1，，，，an eight-meter-high launch vehicle that’s set to be capable of launching groups of satellites into orbit. While Galactic Energy’s other rocket, theCeres-1，，，，has already been deployed, the commissioning of its new offering could be significant in that it’s highly reusable, potentially making it China’s answer to the USA’sSpaceX Falcon 9。
Galactic Energy的Welkin发动机只是最近一系列航空航天推进系统中最新的，从3D印刷零件中受益。在英国，Skyrora的全3D印刷火箭引擎was hot-fire tested back in June 2022, passing with flying colors. Another new player in this space,北斗星，，，，also introduced itsArroway Lox和甲烷发动机去年，作为俄罗斯RD-180和RD-181的替代方案。
别处，发射器continues to make progress with its3D打印的E-2液体火箭发动机，，，，which passed another testing milestone in April 2022. During a test at theNASA Stennis Space Center，，，，the system achieved nominal thrust, pressure, and oxidizer/fuel mixture ration for the first time, and continuously fired for 40 seconds.
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特色图像显示了Farcontech的Super Am工厂安装的Farsoon Farsoon的FS421M金属3D打印机。图片通过Falcontech。
