Metal 3D printer manufacturer Eplus3D and engineering services provider LEAP 71 have successfully developed what the manufacturer says is the “world’s largest” single-piece metal 3D printed rocket thruster.
Delivering 200 kN of thrust and standing over 1.3 meters tall, this thruster will be on display at Formnext tradeshow in Hall 12.0, Booth E101. LEAP 71 designed the thruster using the Noyron large computational engineering model, which combines engineering principles, physics, and manufacturing constraints into a seamless computational framework. This enabled the integration of traditionally separate components into a unified structure.
With 40 times the thrust power of the Noyron TKL-5 engine tested earlier this year, the thruster highlights the growing potential of computationally optimized designs in aerospace applications.
Josefine Lissner, Managing Director of LEAP 71, said, “LEAP 71’s computational models can design space hardware autonomously without the use of CAD. But limitations of current Additive Manufacturing (AM) processes, including the small build volumes of most industrial 3D printers, have continued to hold us back.”
Seamless manufacturing with advanced aerospace applications
Manufacturing this advanced component relied on Eplus3D’s EP-M650-1600 Metal Powder Bed Fusion (MPBFTM) printer. This machine’s large build volume of 650 x 650 x 1600 mm and six 500 W lasers enabled the completion of a single uninterrupted 354-hour production cycle.
Using AlSi10Mg, a high-performance aluminum alloy, the process successfully addressed material challenges such as low melting points and oxygen reactivity through precise engineering adjustments.
Integrating multiple components including the combustion chamber, nozzle, cooling channels, manifolds, and structural elements into a single part reduced the need for complex assembly and eliminated potential points of failure.
Cooling efficiency was improved through a dual heat-management system, where cryogenic liquid oxygen cools the combustion chamber and kerosene regulates temperatures in the upper nozzle. Employing a layer height of 60 µm further optimized performance by minimizing pressure loss caused by friction.
“I commend Eplus3D for pushing the limits, not only in print size, but also in terms of repeatability of high-quality end results, that exceeded our expectations,” added Lissner.
Working with LEAP 71, Eplus3D aims to demonstrate how 3D printing and computational engineering when merged can deliver functionally integrated designs for advanced aerospace applications.
Transforming rocket manufacturing with 3D printing
LEAP 71 and Eplus3D’s achievement adds to a growing trend in the aerospace industry, where companies are leveraging large-scale additive manufacturing to transform rocket design and production.
As reported last month, Californian space launch company Rocket Lab is leveraging a 90-ton custom-built automated fiber placement (AFP) 3D printer, touted as the world’s largest of its kind, to produce the largest carbon composite rocket structures in history. Developed by Electroimpact, the 12-meter-tall printer can lay down 100 meters of carbon fiber per minute and is installed at Rocket Lab’s Space Structures Complex in Maryland.
It automates the production of major components for the reusable Neutron launch vehicle, including interstage panels, fairings, and tanks. Capable of fabricating a stage 2 dome in just 24 hours, the machine offers significant time savings over manual methods. Equipped with live defect monitoring, the AFP system ensures quality standards for Neutron and other aerospace projects, including initial phases of its 3D printed engine-powered Electron rocket and satellite structures.
On another note, by working with Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI), InssTek developed a 3-ton multi-material rocket nozzle and a rocket nozzle extension using Directed Energy Deposition (DED). This rocket nozzle integrates Al-Bronze with 1 mm cooling channels for the inner part and Inconel 625 for the outer part, while the nozzle extension is made of C-103 Nb alloy.
Following successful combustion tests, the components have been combined into a single high-performance unit. In addition, multi-material 3D printing enabled precise thermal management and structural integrity, meeting the complex demands of modern aerospace engineering.
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Featured image shows 1.3 meter tall 3D printed single-piece 200 kN thruster. Image via Eplus3D.
