NASA: 3D Printed Rocket Engine Fuel Injector

From the start – we all owe the American government (the Cold War to be more specific) a great deal of gratitude, not only did it lead towards the development of a unified programming knowledge, the consolidation of endless patents and the incredible investment in what was to become CNC technology but it also forced the development of NASA.

Say what you will, but I think NASA has been among the best ideas the American government ever had… it’s extremely sad to see their budgets cut and put down by the very government that created it… they’ve led the world in new technologies in so many ways including 3D printing. Although I could expand greatly on the subject, I will do so at a later date but for now, let’s focus on Electron Beam Freeform Fabrication, the technology I would have assumed they used to make the rocket engine fuel injector.

What is Electron Beam Freeform Fabrication (EBF3)?

Showcased by NASA (http://nasa.gov) about a year ago (it was invented with funding from DARPA and Lockheed Martin), electron beam freeform fabrication (EBF3) uses an electron beam and wire to fabricate metallic structures. This allows you to basically build anything within a 3D environment as basically solid wire is fed and, by using an electron beam, fused into place

Material

• wire

Advantages of EBF3

• can be done in a vacuum (which makes it great for welding in outer space)
  incredibly strong and smooth results
• works in a 3D environment, not a closed box like the other additive technologies
• possible to change chemistry and incorporate sensors while the part is being built

Disadvantages of EBF3

• the most expensive of all the additive technologies
• requires a large capital investment for machines, material and qualified staff

As you can see, other than cost, this is probably the most advanced and amazing 3D printing system ever devised where applications can be unlimited (in space or on other planets / moons) and the strength and endurance of metal is a required prerequisite. I don’t see NASA establishing a extra-planetary base using a 3D Systems Cube. It seems like the most efficient (application and technology wise) to build a 3D printed rocket engine fuel injector but to my surprise, they used Selective Laser Melting (SLM)!

Selective Laser Melting (SLM): 3D Printed Rocket Engine Fuel Injector

I’ll let the pros over at MPC Tooling Technologies explain the process behind Selective Laser Melting (SLM) but in the case of NASA, using this 3D printing technology to make its 3D Printed Rocket Engine Fuel Injector saved it over 70% vs using traditional manufacturing technologies and they were able to build it over the course of four months instead of a year.

3-D manufacturing offers opportunities to optimize the fit, form and delivery systems of materials that will enable our space missions while directly benefiting American businesses here on Earth.
-Michael Gazarik, NASA’s associate administrator for space technology

The engine was exposed to temperatures of almost 6,000 degrees Fahrenheit and it was designed and manufactured by Aerojet Rocketdyne (http://www.aerojet.org). Aerojet Rocketdyne is a world-recognized aerospace and defense leader providing propulsion and energetics to its space, missile defense, strategic, tactical missile and armaments customers throughout the world.