3 ms·
These engines are built from Inconel [1] superalloy, which is very hard for machining. 3d printing allows to cut the costs, and also enables more intricate shap
by krasin 12y ago
These engines are built from Inconel [1] superalloy, which is very hard for machining. 3d printing allows to cut the costs, and also enables more intricate shapes, thus improving the engine efficiency.
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inconel http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inconel
- nickff 12y agoThe space shuttle's engines are made up of a series of thin inconel sheets sandwiched together, to avoid the problems with machining metals. The most significant machining issue is drill 'walk', which is not specific to inconel, and causes non-straight holes on the plate, which could cause uneven mixture of fuel and oxidizer, thus creating dangerous 'hot-spots'.