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发射器takes lead in space-race with new largest 3D printed rocket engine

狂热的读者会记得上周英国太空飞行公司的消息Orbex产生了最大的单件3D印刷火箭发动机在世界上。但是,自宣布这一消息以来仅7天以上,美国私人航空公司公司发射器has emerged to challenge the title.

嘲笑company’s Twitter accounton the day of Orbex’s press release, Launcher has subsequently announced that its E-2 engine is the largest 3D printed chamber of its kind. Made byAMCM, 一个EOS组制造自定义添加剂制造机的公司,E-2能够推动22,000 lbf。该零件的尺寸据报道直径为850毫米x 400毫米。

来自3D打印机的发射器E-2引擎新鲜。通过启动器照片
来自3D打印机的发射器E-2引擎新鲜。通过启动器照片

发射器moves to the next generation

发射器is an aerospace startup founded in Brooklyn, New York, in 2017. A producer of hydrogen-alternative liquid oxygen (LOX) propulsion systems, the company has, for the past two years, been developing and test firing its E-1 engine. In this time, the E-1 has undergone a number of modifications. Initially, it was made entirely from aerospace-grade superally Inconel 718. The latest iteration, test fired December 2018, is made from a copper alloy, spray coated with Inconel. The base copper engine was produced by the company in与领先的德国OEM EOS合作

现在与AMCM合作,使用了改进的EOS M400系列3D打印机,称为M4K,发射器已进入其第二代LOX引擎。

Test firing of Launcher’s last E-1 engine, made from Inconel-coated copper. Clip via发射器

The world’s largest, single-piece 3D printed rocket engine?

Though announced to the public last week, Orbex has yet to specify the dimensions of its Prime engine. This world’s-largest contender however was made on anSLM 800system from Lübeck’sSLM解决方案。This machine has a build area measuring 260 x 500 mm, with the capacity to build parts up to 800 mm tall. Already, this could mean that the Launcher E-2 exceeds the height of the Prime, as it reportedly stands at 850 mm tall.

As stated by Launcher, “3D printing as a single part, without the need for welding or flanges to assemble smaller sections, allows Launcher to optimize cooling and maximize engine performance. It also reduces cost and complexity while speeding up production timelines.”

“这是我们为小型卫星轨道发射车制造最高效果,最低成本液体火箭发动机的任务的一部分。”

The 3D printing space race is nothing new. In 2016 Rob Meyerson, President of Jeff Bezos’ private aerospace company蓝色presented what he believed to be the最大的3D印刷零件in the sector at the 67ThInternational Astronautical Congress (IAC). The only current objects to hold a吉尼斯世界纪录因为他们的3D打印成就是在太空的37.7米长梁中制造,“最长的3D打印非组装作品”,一个波音777X机翼工具,“最大的3D打印物品”Oak Ridge National Laboratory

发射器's single-piece 3D printed E-2 engine. Macbook for scale. Photo via Launcher
Launcher的单件3D打印E-2发动机。尺度的笔记本电脑。通过启动器照片

Nominate Launcher and AMCM for Aerospace Application of the Year in the2019 3D Printing Industry AwardsFor regular additive manufacturing aerospace news updates subscribe to our通讯, follow us on推特and like us onFacebookVisit3D打印作业对于您所在地区的新增材制造机会。

Featured image shows Launcher’s single-piece 3D printed E-2 engine. Laptop for scale. Photo via Launcher