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Engine parts I can see, but is there some inherent advantage to 3D printing the vehicle parts? Seems more hype.
by madengr 9y ago
Engine parts I can see, but is there some inherent advantage to 3D printing the vehicle parts? Seems more hype.
- ricardobeat 9y agoComplete printing of our rocket, Terran 1, reduces vehicle part count from nearly 100,000 to under 1,000 components - and is the first step toward an entirely autonomous factory They also mention a turnaround of _days_ for a full rocket, and being able to manufacture in Mars. More info at their website: http://www.relativityspace.com http://www.relativityspace.com
- Gravityloss 9y agoAFAIK one can't get something that competes with high strength carbon fiber tanks made in a 3D printer. You need continuous long fiber placement, the opposite of "a little material here and there" 3D printing. Now, printing might work for some other materials than carbon with similar or even higher strength to weight ratio. But AFAIK unproven so far. Would be a whole separate science project with lots of other applications than rockets. Also, looks like the engine had some machining work done, maybe after the laser sintering aka 3D printing part, since the surface was smooth and shiny.
- gnode 9y agoLarge carbon fibre tanks are arguably 3D printed. They're made with a CNC machine that winds carbon fibre tow onto the tank. A larger challenge would probably be to cheaply produce the raw carbon fibre on Mars.
- Gravityloss 9y agoThat's a winding machine, not a 3D printer. But yes, if that's what's meant, it's completely a no brainer. Nobody's hand winding tanks or airliner fuselages.