Dubai-based engineering company LEAP 71 and Chinese 3D printer manufacturer Farsoon Technologies have introduced an AI-designed, metal additively manufactured hypersonic precooler — a demonstrator aimed at bringing winged, air-breathing spaceplanes closer to practical development.
The finished precooler will make its debut at Formnext 2025 at the Farsoon booth (Hall 11.0, Booth E11). With this innovation, the companies hope to reignite interest in reusable, runway-launched spacecraft and broaden the conversation beyond conventional vertical-launch concepts.
Breakthrough in AI-Driven Hypersonic Precooler Design
Reaching single-stage-to-orbit — taking off horizontally and climbing directly into orbit — has long stood as one of aerospace’s toughest technical challenges. In pursuit of this goal, LEAP 71 and Farsoon Technologies have developed a large-scale hypersonic precooler. Measuring 1.5 meters tall, the component was designed using LEAP 71’s Noyron computational engineering platform and fabricated on Farsoon’s FS811M-U-8, one of the largest metal AM systems currently in operation.
“The dream of winged spacecraft has always hinged on propulsion systems that breathe air at hypersonic speeds before transitioning to rocket mode,” said Lin Kayser, Co-Founder of LEAP 71. “By combining Computational Engineering with large-scale metal Additive Manufacturing, we now have a shot at overcoming some of the most fundamental barriers to realizing that vision.”
From Digital Design to Large-Format Metal AM Reality
To turn the geometry into a manufacturable part, Farsoon worked closely with LEAP 71 to refine Noyron’s output for production — resulting in one of the tallest powder-bed fusion builds completed to date.
“This collaboration demonstrates how the convergence of large-format metal additive manufacturing and AI-driven design can redefine the limits of aerospace engineering,” said Oliver Li, General Manager, Farsoon Europe GmbH. “Farsoon’s open, industrial-scale LPBF systems empower partners like LEAP 71 to transform digital intelligence into tangible high-performance components — proving that innovation and collaboration are the true engines driving the next generation of space technology.”
Hypersonic Technologies on the Rise
Beyond LEAP 71 and Farsoon Technologies, several other initiatives are pushing the boundaries of hypersonic propulsion and additive manufacturing.
In August, the U.S.-based University of Arizona’s Mach-X engineering team secured a $5 million grant from the U.S. Army to develop an advanced alloy manufacturing process that integrates 3D printing and machine learning. The project focuses on producing critical components for hypersonic vehicles capable of traveling at least five times the speed of sound. By combining AI-driven design with cutting-edge additive manufacturing, Mach-X aims to accelerate development cycles for next-generation hypersonic platforms.
Elsewhere, Venus Aerospace, a Texas-based hypersonic propulsion company, will incorporate a 3D printed nozzle developed under a NASA Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) award into its upcoming ground-based hypersonic engine demonstration. Produced using laser powder bed fusion, the nozzle is a key element of Venus’s Rotating Detonation Rocket Engine (RDRE) — a compact system designed to operate efficiently across multiple flight regimes without the need for engine switching.
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Featured image shows AI-designed, metal additively manufactured hypersonic precooler. Image via Farsoon Technologies.
