Orbital ATK has successfully tested a 3D-printed hypersonic engine combustor at Nasa’s Langley Research Center.
During the test, the combustor, manufactured through an additive manufacturing process called powder bed fusion (PBF), underwent various high-temperature hypersonic flight conditions for 20 days.
The combustor succeeded in the test.
The scramjet combustor, considered to be one of the most crucial parts of the propulsion system, maintains a stable combustion in a volatile environment. The test was conducted to ensure endurance of the PBF products during space missions.
Orbital ATK Defence Systems Group missile products division vice-president Pat Nolan said: "Additive manufacturing opens up new possibilities for our designers and engineers.
"This combustor is a great example of a component that was impossible to build just a few years ago.
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By GlobalData"This successful test will encourage our engineers to continue to explore new designs and use these innovative tools to lower costs and decrease manufacturing time."
The test proved the ease and cost-effectiveness of Orbital ATK’s new combustor design over complex assembly designs for multiple components.
Components are currently built one layer at a time and the new process has made it possible to design features and integrated components, which cannot be machined or casted easily.
Orbital performed the final assembly of the test combustor at its facilities in Ronkonkoma, New York, and Allegany Ballistics Laboratory in Rocket Center, West Virginia.
Nasa’s Glenn Research Center has been involved in developing 3D printing technologies for the aerospace sector.
In 2014, the space agency in collaboration with other companies successfully completed the first hot-fire tests on an advanced rocket engine thrust chamber assembly, where copper alloy materials were used.
