Rocket Engine Vacuum Nozzle 3D Printing: Manufacturing, Weight, and Cost Savings

Metallic materials additive manufacturing is extremely challenging nowadays, while aircraft manufacturers are trying to adapt the newly developed technology to produce parts of complex geometry with minimum materials losses. Skyrora is a company focused on the production of several launch vehicles a...

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Main Authors: Nikolaos D. Alexopoulos, Vasileios Zeimpekis, Evangelos Vasileiou, Nikolaos Thomaidis, Theodoros Souxes, Ilona Lazaridou, Maksym Lutsyk, Roman Vorobev, Evgeniy Karakash, Elena Karpovich, Olexandr Grydin
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-05-01
Series:Engineering Proceedings
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2673-4591/90/1/109
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author Nikolaos D. Alexopoulos
Vasileios Zeimpekis
Evangelos Vasileiou
Nikolaos Thomaidis
Theodoros Souxes
Ilona Lazaridou
Maksym Lutsyk
Roman Vorobev
Evgeniy Karakash
Elena Karpovich
Olexandr Grydin
author_facet Nikolaos D. Alexopoulos
Vasileios Zeimpekis
Evangelos Vasileiou
Nikolaos Thomaidis
Theodoros Souxes
Ilona Lazaridou
Maksym Lutsyk
Roman Vorobev
Evgeniy Karakash
Elena Karpovich
Olexandr Grydin
author_sort Nikolaos D. Alexopoulos
collection DOAJ
description Metallic materials additive manufacturing is extremely challenging nowadays, while aircraft manufacturers are trying to adapt the newly developed technology to produce parts of complex geometry with minimum materials losses. Skyrora is a company focused on the production of several launch vehicles and rockets with the aim of becoming a commercial provider for access to space. One of the Skyrora goals is to develop innovative and long-term solutions for future growth, and, within the Horizon European project “MADE-3D”, aims to improve the rocket propulsion system of the launch vehicle Skyrora XL by exploiting multi-materials during the production phase by additive manufacturing. The main goal of the present investigation is to document the already existing production phases of the “conventional” Skyrora vacuum nozzle printed with Inconel 718 to provide a baseline in terms of weight, manufacturing cost, lead processing time and CO<sub>2</sub> equivalent emissions of the under-development multi-material demonstrator.
format Article
id doaj-art-2f4a0cc61ecc45c1a5481a9d0bdb3293
institution Kabale University
issn 2673-4591
language English
publishDate 2025-05-01
publisher MDPI AG
record_format Article
series Engineering Proceedings
spelling doaj-art-2f4a0cc61ecc45c1a5481a9d0bdb32932025-08-20T03:27:18ZengMDPI AGEngineering Proceedings2673-45912025-05-0190110910.3390/engproc2025090109Rocket Engine Vacuum Nozzle 3D Printing: Manufacturing, Weight, and Cost SavingsNikolaos D. Alexopoulos0Vasileios Zeimpekis1Evangelos Vasileiou2Nikolaos Thomaidis3Theodoros Souxes4Ilona Lazaridou5Maksym Lutsyk6Roman Vorobev7Evgeniy Karakash8Elena Karpovich9Olexandr Grydin10Research Unit of Advanced Materials, Department of Financial and Management Engineering, School of Engineering, University of the Aegean, 41 Kountouriotou str, 82132 Chios, GreeceResearch Unit of Advanced Materials, Department of Financial and Management Engineering, School of Engineering, University of the Aegean, 41 Kountouriotou str, 82132 Chios, GreeceResearch Unit of Advanced Materials, Department of Financial and Management Engineering, School of Engineering, University of the Aegean, 41 Kountouriotou str, 82132 Chios, GreeceResearch Unit of Advanced Materials, Department of Financial and Management Engineering, School of Engineering, University of the Aegean, 41 Kountouriotou str, 82132 Chios, GreeceResearch Unit of Advanced Materials, Department of Financial and Management Engineering, School of Engineering, University of the Aegean, 41 Kountouriotou str, 82132 Chios, GreeceResearch Unit of Advanced Materials, Department of Financial and Management Engineering, School of Engineering, University of the Aegean, 41 Kountouriotou str, 82132 Chios, GreeceSkyrora, 7 Drum Mains Park Cumbernauld, Glasgow G68 9LD, UKSkyrora, 7 Drum Mains Park Cumbernauld, Glasgow G68 9LD, UKSkyrora, 7 Drum Mains Park Cumbernauld, Glasgow G68 9LD, UKSkyrora, 7 Drum Mains Park Cumbernauld, Glasgow G68 9LD, UKSkyrora, 7 Drum Mains Park Cumbernauld, Glasgow G68 9LD, UKMetallic materials additive manufacturing is extremely challenging nowadays, while aircraft manufacturers are trying to adapt the newly developed technology to produce parts of complex geometry with minimum materials losses. Skyrora is a company focused on the production of several launch vehicles and rockets with the aim of becoming a commercial provider for access to space. One of the Skyrora goals is to develop innovative and long-term solutions for future growth, and, within the Horizon European project “MADE-3D”, aims to improve the rocket propulsion system of the launch vehicle Skyrora XL by exploiting multi-materials during the production phase by additive manufacturing. The main goal of the present investigation is to document the already existing production phases of the “conventional” Skyrora vacuum nozzle printed with Inconel 718 to provide a baseline in terms of weight, manufacturing cost, lead processing time and CO<sub>2</sub> equivalent emissions of the under-development multi-material demonstrator.https://www.mdpi.com/2673-4591/90/1/109additive manufacturing3D printingABCinconel alloyscarbon footprintrocket engine vacuum nozzle
spellingShingle Nikolaos D. Alexopoulos
Vasileios Zeimpekis
Evangelos Vasileiou
Nikolaos Thomaidis
Theodoros Souxes
Ilona Lazaridou
Maksym Lutsyk
Roman Vorobev
Evgeniy Karakash
Elena Karpovich
Olexandr Grydin
Rocket Engine Vacuum Nozzle 3D Printing: Manufacturing, Weight, and Cost Savings
Engineering Proceedings
additive manufacturing
3D printing
ABC
inconel alloys
carbon footprint
rocket engine vacuum nozzle
title Rocket Engine Vacuum Nozzle 3D Printing: Manufacturing, Weight, and Cost Savings
title_full Rocket Engine Vacuum Nozzle 3D Printing: Manufacturing, Weight, and Cost Savings
title_fullStr Rocket Engine Vacuum Nozzle 3D Printing: Manufacturing, Weight, and Cost Savings
title_full_unstemmed Rocket Engine Vacuum Nozzle 3D Printing: Manufacturing, Weight, and Cost Savings
title_short Rocket Engine Vacuum Nozzle 3D Printing: Manufacturing, Weight, and Cost Savings
title_sort rocket engine vacuum nozzle 3d printing manufacturing weight and cost savings
topic additive manufacturing
3D printing
ABC
inconel alloys
carbon footprint
rocket engine vacuum nozzle
url https://www.mdpi.com/2673-4591/90/1/109
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