Spanish 3D printing company Aenium and Pangea Aerospace, based in Barcelona, have formed an agreement to 3D print propulsion systems for the European aerospace market.
According to Aenium, the systems will be made of GRCop 42, a high conductivity, high-strength copper-chrome-niobium alloy for use in high heat flux applications such as liquid rocket engines and other combustion devices. It was developed by NASA for harsh environments such as regeneratively-cooled combustion chambers and nozzles with good oxidation resistance.
This material is the most suitable for developing Aerospike rocket engines, which offer improved efficiency, up to 15% than currently used rocket engines, reusability capabilities and low-cost and rapid manufacturing.
The companies say that this is the first time the material is available in Europe to make these engines.
This story uses material from Aenium, with editorial changes made by Materials Today. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent those of Elsevier.