MOSCOW, September 8 (RIA Novosti) - The US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has managed to build complex rocket injectors using 3D-printing technology, Tech Times reports.
"We wanted to go a step beyond just testing an injector and demonstrate how 3D-printing could revolutionize rocket designs for increased system performance," said Chris Singer, director of the Engineering Directorate of NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center.
The “printed” injectors contain 40 various spray elements, constructed as a single component, rather than produced separately. In an ordinary manufacturing process, 163 single parts have to be combined to build a similar injector. Additive manufacturing - or 3D printing technology - allows them to be produced from just two parts.
In the last few years, 3D printing has undergone rapid development and it is gaining popularity in different fields of science such as medicine, aviation and the space industry. For instance, Chinese doctors have recently successfully implanted a 3D-printed vertebra in a 12-year old boy who was suffering from cancer, an achievement that will provide new treatment opportunities for implant surgery patients.
In the space industry, the application of 3D printing will significantly simplify the manufacturing process when compared with traditional methods of production. According to tests, 3D-printed rocket components are comparable in quality to their traditional analogues, and can function “within operating specifications for the engines”, Tech Times reports. A regular testing system, used by NASA experts, will provide for constant modifying, ensure the successful upgrading of constructed elements and help to create high-complex rocket components for future space travel.
