[3D Printing] Large-Format Metal 3D Printed Rocket Engines

Traditional injectors are not single parts, but systems composed of hundreds or even thousands of individual precision parts, processed, sealed, and assembled through complex procedures.

The manufacturing method demonstrated by LEAP 71 and Nikon SLM Solutions involves directly "growing" the entire system as a single, integrated component. This is a typical case of integrated metal 3D printing and once again demonstrates the value of additive manufacturing in integrating complex structures.

With a diameter of 600 mm and made from aerospace-grade nickel alloy IN718, this is one of the largest and most structurally complex metal 3D printed aerospace components.

The part was printed using Nikon SLM Solutions' NXG 600E industrial metal additive manufacturing system, marking significant progress in the collaboration between the two parties, which has spanned over two years.

Full-flow staged combustion is considered a crucial technology for efficient rocket propulsion, as it can more fully convert the chemical energy of propellants into thrust.

However, this advanced engine cycle also presents more stringent engineering challenges, such as handling high-temperature pre-burned methane and oxygen flowing through complex injection mechanisms.

The XRB-2E6 engine has a thrust of approximately 200 metric tons, comparable to the high-thrust engines used in modern heavy-lift launch vehicles. LEAP 71 plans to conduct actual tests of the XRB-2E6 in Q4 2027.

To validate reliable manufacturing processes for the engine early on, LEAP 71 actively sought manufacturing partners and utilized large-scale metal 3D printing equipment to achieve integrated forming of complex parts.

The injector head was entirely generated by LEAP 71's Noyron large-scale computational engineering model, specifically designed to withstand the high thermal loads and high-pressure environment within the full-flow staged combustion engine cycle.

Nikon SLM Solutions and LEAP 71 collaborated to integrate key manufacturing parameters into the Noyron system, enabling the computational model to consider the actual manufacturing conditions of the NXG 600E equipment when generating parts.

Through the IN718 PROD parameter set and process optimization, the team completed the printing of large, complex parts in less than four days. This rapid manufacturing capability helps reduce production costs and accelerates validation and design iteration.

Metal additive manufacturing is a key foundation of LEAP 71's computational engineering concept, as it enables Noyron to design complex and highly efficient structures while reducing the limitations imposed by traditional machining, molding, and assembly.

LEAP 71 prints the assembly as a single unit, avoiding the need to assemble hundreds of standard parts that require precision machining and sealing. This helps reduce potential failure interfaces, enhance system reliability, and shorten production cycles from weeks to days.

Noyron can generate a complete engine design from abstract specifications in a matter of hours, without engineers having to manually create each geometric feature.

The result is a highly integrated, single-piece component that requires no complex assembly and only minimal post-processing before being sent to the test stand. This process supports rapid and frequent physical testing, allowing test results to continuously improve subsequent designs.