AeroJet Rocketdyne Successfully Tests Complex 3D Printed Injector for Rocket Engine

While California-based rocket and missile propulsion manufacturer Aerojet Rocketdyne has already run tests on several additive manufactured rocket parts, they have now successfully tested the most complex 3D printed rocket engine part yet in a series of hot-fire tests of its RL10 upper-stage rocket engine.

The part built using selective laser melting (SLM) technology is a core main injector for the RL10 development engine. The test was part of the RL10 Additive Manufacturing Sturdy program, established in collaboration with the U.S. Air Force and NASA’s Glenn Research Center to demonstrate the capability of complex 3D printed parts to qualify them for use in large rocket engines.

“While we have had success developing additive manufacturing technology for a broad range of products—from discrete engine components to hot-fire testing engines and propulsion systems made entirely with additive manufacturing—this is among the most complex components we have tested in a large rocket engine to date,” said Dr. Jay Littles, director of Advanced Launch Programs at Aerojet Rocketdyne.

Littles adds: “However, we’ve just scratched the surface of what this technology will do to revolutionize our industry. Our design engineers are just starting to take advantage of the expanded possibilities enabled by this new manufacturing technology. They are now free to design products that were once thought impossible to build due to the constraints of traditional manufacturing.”