Wanna see something cool #2

cmartinez

Joined Jan 17, 2007
8,783

nsaspook

Joined Aug 27, 2009
16,339
That's not completely accurate.
https://3dprint.com/294423/agnikul-cosmos-patents-3d-printed-rocket-engine-ahead-of-test-launch/
However, in the original document published by the Office of the Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks, Agnikul doesn’t specify whether the single-piece engine also includes other subcomponents of rocket engines. And while Agnikul’s founders have been posting information about their latest milestone on social media, fellow space industry experts have also inquired whether the engine is really “fully” 3D printed, as the company states. In particular, Tim Berry, head of manufacturing and supply chain at California space startup Launcher, asked in one of Agnikul’s posts whether “tubing, valves, electronics, etc. are all fabricated as one piece?” Adding that if it’s just the nozzle, chamber, and injector, then “it’s not a full rocket engine and is also not a new discovery.”

Berry might be alluding to the fact that in the last few years, other space startups have also publicized the creation of 3D printed rocket engines. For example, last April, Launcher demonstrated the full thrust of its E-2 engine––which boasts a fully 3D printed chamber––for the first time; Rocket Lab has also been known to use 3D printed engines, while rocket engine manufacturer Ursa Major focuses solely on developing 3D printed rocket propulsion systems and UK-based startup Orbex has even commissioned AMCM to build a large-volume 3D printer for manufacturing its rocket engines in one piece. With so many companies turning to 3D printing for their rocket propulsion and space agencies like NASA and ESA advancing their own rocket engine technology through additive manufacturing, it seems like there is tough competition ahead.
 

cmartinez

Joined Jan 17, 2007
8,783
That story reminds me of an old Popular Mechanics magazine article titled "Meet the fully automatic house" (or something like that). The article was about a remote controlled garage door!
 
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