BBC has the details on the space-agency’s successful test of a printed fuel injector:
The part is used to deliver liquid oxygen and hydrogen gas to an engine’s combustion chamber.
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NASA said that California-based Aerojet Rocketdyne had made the injector using a method called selective laser melting (SLM).
The technique involves turning a computer-designed object into a real-world part by controlling a high-powered laser beam which melts and fuses thin layers of metallic powders into the preordained shape.
The test part was smaller than would be used in a full-size rocket, but large enough to test it could withstand the heat and pressure involved.
NASA said the component would normally have taken a year to make because of the exact measurements involved, but by using SLM the manufacturing time was cut to less than four months and the price reduced by more than 70%.