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3D printing of a large rocket engine using the SLM800 printer

Aerospace industry

Implementation stories

Author: Aleksey Chekhovich

Author: Aleksey Chekhovich

SLM Solutions, a manufacturer of metal additives, has produced what it claims to be the world's largest 3D printed rocket engine for British aerospace company Orbex.

The Prime commercial orbital launcher engine has been 3D printed as an all-metal product and will be used to deliver small satellites into orbit. The Prime rocket was recently officially unveiled during the opening ceremony of the new Orbex headquarters in Forres, Scotland, created with the support of the European Commission's Horizon 2020 Fund, the UK Space Agency (UKSA) and other private and public organizations.

At the ceremony, Graeme Turnock, Chief Executive of UKSA, said: “The new Orbex project complex is another step for the UK towards independent commercial rocket launches. This is the strengthening of its leadership position in Europe in the eyes of those who are looking to the Earth's orbit and beyond in search of new opportunities."

UK Space Agency Executive Director Graham Turnock speaks at the official presentation of the Prime rocket. Photo: Orbex

From an obscure startup to a $40 million investment

Orbex was founded in 2015 with the goal of launching commercial cubesats, small satellites with a mass of several kilograms, into earth orbit. The company operated "in stealth mode" until July 2018, when it announced it had raised £30 million ($40 million) in private and public funding. At the same time, information was officially confirmed that the UKSA would provide Orbex with the opportunity to launch from the Sutherland cosmodrome, using it in conjunction with an American competitor, Rocket Lab.

Thanks to 3D printing, Prime is 30% lighter and 20% more efficient than any other launch vehicle in its category

The Orbex Prime Lightweight Booster is powered by liquid oxygen and propane, a gas that is a non-toxic and cheaper alternative to hydrogen. Like many modern rockets, the Prime upper stage is designed to be reusable, reducing the amount of waste generated during the launch process.

With a height of 19 m and a diameter of 1.3 m, the Prime rocket is capable of delivering a payload of 150 kg to an altitude of up to 500 km. In this regard, it is comparable to Rocket Lab's Electron rocket, which has a payload of 150 to 225 kg, but it should be noted that the two rockets use different types of fuel.

Prime Rocket Engine 3D Printed

The Prime rocket engine was printed by SLM Solutions on the SLM 800 large format 3D printer. The SLM 800 build chamber is 260x500mm and can print parts up to 800mm high, which is what the Orbex engine needs.

A close-up of the Prime rocket engine printed as one piece. Photo: Orbex

The motor was made from a nickel alloy, and the additive manufacturing method allowed Orbex to spend 90% less time and cut costs by more than 50% compared to traditional CNC machining. In addition, according to experts, this way of manufacturing the engine made it possible to make the Prime rocket “30% lighter and 20% more efficient than any other launch vehicle in this category.” During the concept phase, Orbex's strategic investor, Elecnor Deimos Space, demonstrated that the Prime rocket weighed only 18 tons.

One of the key factors in the production process of the engine is 3D metal printing in the form of a single piece, which significantly increases its overall reliability due to the absence of any joints and seams. Speaking about the process of building the engine, Lukas Pankiewicz, 3D Printing Applications Specialist at SLM Solutions, says: “We aimed to meet the Orbex team's quality expectations and make the engine suitable for additive manufacturing without compromising its functionality. In preparing the data, each support structure was individually tuned to ensure the best quality in each section of the engine, considering, among other things, the post-processing process.”

Looking forward to launching in 2021!

In the private space launch industry, there are more and more competitors who are rushing to take the place of the leader in the commercial market. In an effort to reduce costs and develop new, lightweight designs, many manufacturers in this field are turning to the use of 3D printers for the production of engines. For example, 3D printing has been used to create Space X's Superdraco engine, Aerojet Rocketdyne's AR1 engine, Rocket Lab's Rutherford engine, and Blue Origin's BE series engine parts.

The first launch of the Orbex Prime rocket with a 3D printed engine is scheduled for 2021, which will be the output of an experimental payload for Surrey Satellite Technology, a leader in 3D printing applications.

Speaking at the launch of the Prime rocket, Chris Larmor, CEO of Orbex, said: “Today, Orbex took some big steps forward by creating something unique in Europe - a well-funded private microsatellite launch project, backed by excellent manufacturing capabilities, close cooperation with industrial enterprises and the rapid growth in the number of commercial customers.

Translation from English. The original of this material on the site 3dprintingindustry.com

Article published on 04/05/2019, updated on 03/04/2022

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