3D Printed NASA Thrust Chamber Assembly Combines Two Metal Processes | The Cool Parts Show

When we talk about spacecraft, we are largely talking about propulsion. About 70% of the cost of a spacecraft, along with considerable manufacturing lead time, is attributable to the propulsion system alone. That means the chance to streamline the design and production of this system offers the chance to deliver dramatic time and cost savings in spacecraft manufacturing. NASA’s Rapid Analysis and Manufacturing Propulsion Technology (RAMPT) program aims to apply additive manufacturing to this challenge, transforming what has historically been an elaborate assembly (in part because of the complexity of the cooling network) into a unified 3D printed structure. Accomplishing this is such a big job, it takes two additive processes. The Cool Parts Show visited NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, to learn about a single-piece, multi-metal thrust chamber assembly made through laser powder bed fusion of copper alloy joined to nickel superalloy via directed energy deposition. Propulsion systems made this way could be produced in days instead of months, with significantly less effort and material waste.
This episode of The Cool Parts Show brought to you by Carpenter Additive. www.carpenteradditive.com/
FOR ALL ACCESS MEMBERS: We discovered another cool part - a supercooled part, actually - during our visit to Marshall. Cryogenic tanks for refueling in space are made in one piece through directed energy deposition. The Cool Parts Show All Access is a free subscription for fans of the show. Sign up and watch this month's exclusive Extra here: www.additivemanufacturing.med...
LEARN MORE ABOUT:
Marshall Space Flight Center
www.nasa.gov/marshall/
“Evolved” brackets developed at Goddard Space Flight Center
www.additivemanufacturing.med...
Collapsible lattices designed at Jet Propulsion Laboratory
www.additivemanufacturing.med...
Parts for the Perseverance Mars Rover
www.additivemanufacturing.med...
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0:00 3D Printed Thrust Chamber
0:44 What is it?
3:15 Internal Cooling Channels
4:43 How It's Made Conventionally
7:17 The Additive Manufacturing Advantage
9:00 Combustion Chamber & Powder Bed Fusion
10:34 DED & Multi-Material 3D Printing
14:32 Composite Overwrap
16:01 Hot Fire Testing
18:03 Full-Scale Thrust Chamber
19:30 Thrust Chamber Summarized
20:16 Cryogenic Propellant Tanks
20:45 Metal Powder Handling Solutions
#3dprinting #engineering #manufacturing

[@hippotek1]

This is one of the BEST episodes you guys have ever presented. This part is truly a BLAST :-) I really enjoy the two of you as a team but I have to admit, what I enjoy most ist Stephanie's voice. It makes conveying knowledge so much more compelling, when the person presenting the information has a voice as pleasent as yours 🙂

[@garrettolson7241]

Love your channel: my favorite KZbin channel, and that's saying something. I'm a programmer that spends days clacking away while watching engineering videos, including your channel. Such incredible, educational content. Keep up the good work.

[@russellcollins5692]

I would expect that there are parts off these processes that remain and are kept quite, one would hope in these times were living in. Off course we’ll never know till it’s not worth knowing 😮😊

[@gsaucham]

Amazing job, congratulations !

[@dustincrouse2498]

For those interested in this topic, Paul Gradl also has a great book summarizing additive manufacturing for space applications

[@SteveWindsurf]

Great, NASA has joined the club and finally innovating 3D printed engine technology, and in house!. Now, please can we use them more than once.

[@aligenc659]

I have some questions: 1) Is elongation of 3d printed metals higher than traditionally manufactured materials? 2) What are the differences between X/Y resolution, accuracy and precision. Some 3D printers don't show their precision, only their X/Y resolution and layer height.

[@DylanEdmiston]

Cool.

[@johntheux9238]

I want to know more about the specs for the engine, is it similar to BE-4 from Blue Origin?

[@AdditiveManufacturing]

From Paul Gradl at NASA: "The 40,000 lbf thrust ground test demonstrator shown in the video was to prove out all the new materials and technologies in a relevant hot-fire environment. This process development data and test data are then used to scale these technologies. The ~500,000 lbf thrust engine that Pete mentioned is the RS-25, where we are building some full scale AM parts with our industry partners."

[@johntheux9238]

So you use hot isostatic pressing, does this allow you to use faster, cheaper printers with higher porosity?

[@AdditiveManufacturing]

From Paul Gradl at NASA: "We still require very high density (low porosity) from the AM builds. HIP should not be used as a crutch for poor quality material. HIP has been shown to improve fatigue life, which is one of the major drivers in our designs." Thanks for watching.

[@johntheux9238]

Do you still need machining afterwards? There is no moving part but the holes for film cooling might be too small for 3d printing. Do you use lasers?

[@AdditiveManufacturing]

From Paul Gradl at NASA: "We machine and use post-processing where it is needed, such as critical interfaces. We use other processes such as surface enhancements if we need to modify the surface texture. We have developed the L-PBF and LP-DED processes to enable the small features/channels required for our designs. These processes use a laser as the energy source, denoted by the “L” for laser in the acronym."

[@FuzzyDunlots]

thoughjt it was for coffee lol

[@AdditiveManufacturing]

It'll definitely get you going in the morning.

[@Joshua_Bell_]

Rockets push off air. They wouldn't "thrust" in the emptiness of "space".

[@christianedelmann6880]

Naaa man