3D printing of large and complex rocket engine parts
Using traditional welding methods, rocket engine nozzles and combustion chambers are some of the most difficult parts to fabricate, requiring up to a year to produce a single part. Now, however, the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is using additive manufacturing technology, also known as 3D printing, to additively build those parts, layer upon layer. This technology differs completely from traditional manufacturing methods that manufacture destructively by taking away material until a final geometry is realized. 3D printing has allowed NASA to produce rocket engine nozzles with integrated cooling channels in 30 days by way of an additive process called blown powder directed energy deposition (BP-DED). See also: Nozzle; Rocket propulsion; 3D printing