The secret sauce for the lightest rocket engine
ㆍIndia-based startup ‘Agnikul Cosmos’ has the technology to manufacture liquid fuel engines with 3D printing technology.
ㆍThe company has introduced a new 3D printing engine that is faster and simpler, featuring a single-part design.
ㆍThere may be a planet where all objects and structures are created using 3D printing technology.
Look at this historic scene!
Agnikul Cosmos has achieved a significant milestone in the aerospace industry by successfully testing the world’s first-ever 3D printed rocket engine for combustion. The startup is now preparing for the launch of its Agnibaan SOrTeD (Agnibaan) first stage rocket, which features an integrated 6kN class semi-cryogenic engine made with a 3D printer. Known as ‘Agnilet’, the engine has the capacity to carry payloads weighing up to 100 kilograms to Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at an altitude of approximately 700 kilometers above the ground. This breakthrough marks a new era in the field of rocket engine manufacturing as even giant rocket engines will soon be 3D printed.
Just one piece of hardware
Agnilet is a unique hardware that consists of hundreds of modules that make up a single rocket engine. According to Agnikul Cosmos, it is the only engine in the world that is printed as a single part. Here are some reasons why 3D printing a rocket engine is beneficial.
It doesn’t require complex assemblies. Rocket engines are typically assembled using a large number of components such as injectors, cooling channels, and igniters. This can be a complex and time-consuming process. However, Agnikul Cosmos has developed a new method of manufacturing rocket engines using 3D printing technology. This involves layering materials like polymers, metals, and ceramics onto a three-dimensional model, resulting in an integrated product that eliminates the need for assembly. They use L-PBF (Laser Powder Bed Fusion) and high-quality aerospace materials such as copper, Inconel, Monel, and titanium to join all engine parts. The resulting engine is lightweight, weighing only 5 to 6 kg, compared to traditional engines that can weigh up to 25 kg. This innovative manufacturing process drastically reduces the time required to produce a rocket engine, to less than 72 hours. This new method of building rocket engines is lightweight, simple, and efficient.
‘3D’ printers output everything
In our modern society, we can see that most things around us are three-dimensional in nature, such as houses, cars, computers, bags, clothes, and buildings. It is possible that in the future, all three-dimensional models that can be seen by the human eye will be 3D printed. The engines that fuel rockets into space are already being made using 3D printing, so it’s not a stretch to imagine that in the future, rockets, satellites, spacecraft, and even humans could be 3D printed. There are already examples of bio 3D printers creating exact replicas of a person’s face, producing artificial hearts, and operating on heart disease. In fact, artificial ears have been created and successfully implanted in real rats. By combining 3D printed body parts and organs, it could be possible to create a physically perfect human being.
Just imagine the possibility of sending these ‘new humans’ to Mars or the moon to start a space adaptation experiment. It could be a planet where 3D printed humans can operate or live, surrounded by 3D printed houses, cars, computers, clothes, and even food. That’s the new space.
