Colorado-based rocket engine company Ursa Major has used 3D printing to build a reusable, liquid oxygen/methane rocket engine capable of delivering 200,000 lbs of thrust. The engine, dubbed “Arroway” was partly printed in copper and other materials and will fill the gap left by the now unavailable RD-180 and RD-181 Russian engines which until recently were used on the American Atlas V rocket. Here is a fancy render of the Arroway, with an astronaut for scale. A nice render. (Image credit: Ursa Major) In a recent press release, the company, which states that they are the only privately funded company that focuses solely on rocket propulsion, announced that they were now taking orders for their Arroway engine. They have built two smaller engines on the path to Arroway. Ursa Major‘s previous engines include “Hadley,” capable of producing 5,000-pounds of thrust, and the 50,000-pound thrust “Ripley” engine. Hadley was the first… read more
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Researchers from Concordia University have developed a novel direct sound printing (DSP) technique that leverages ultrasound waves to fabricate complex and precise objects. The team has published a paper describing the technology, which works by using sound waves to create sonochemical reactions in minuscule cavities to produce pre-designed complex geometries that cannot be achieved with existing techniques. “Ultrasonic frequencies are already being used in destructive procedures like laser ablation of tissues and tumors,” said Muthukumaran Packirisamy, a Professor in Concordia’s Department of Mechanical, Industrial and Aerospace Engineering. “We wanted to use them to create something.” Ultrasonic 3D printing The use of ultrasound in microparticle manipulation is not a new concept, with ultrasonic waves having proven to be a useful tool across multiple areas of 3D printing in the past. The last few years have seen researchers from the University of Bath and the University of Bristol develop their Sonolithography bioprinting… read more
The Halot-One series of resin printers from Creality offers high quality resin printing at a price friendly to most makers and 3D printing fans. At the core of the Creality Halot-One lies the Integral Light Source technology, which helps users create perfect prints. But what is the Integral Light Source and exactly how does it help keep print quality high? Read on to know more! Halot One Series The Halot One resin printer series was first released in 2021 with the original Halot-One. Since then the range has expanded to include new models including the original Halot-One, Halot-One Lite, Halot-Sky and most recently, the Halot-One Plus and Halot-One Pro. Halo there! The Halot-One Plus, and the Halot-One Pro (Image credit: Creality) The printers in the series all vary in size, but all of them have the Integral Light Source technology at their core. Most budget resin printers make use of… read more
A group of China-based researchers have developed a new way of adding color to 3D printed parts that’s said to result in much safer products than conventional dyeing or pigmentation. The scientists’ approach revolves around a biocompatible ink they’ve developed, which yields parts capable of changing appearance through ‘structural coloration,’ in response to heat or light stimuli. Using their material, the team say it could be possible to produce everything from wearable bio-sensors to more child-safe toys. “We believe that [our] cholesteric liquid crystal ink can shed light on next-generation environmentally friendly 3D photonic printing,” the team explain in their paper, published in this week’s Proceedings Of The National Academy Of Sciences journal. “The ink maintains a cholesteric liquid crystalline state that gives rise to the structural color.” A 3D printed part changing color under different thermal conditions. Image via the South China Morning post. Overcoming the toxicity of dyeing… read more
Researchers from Tsinghua University and the National University of Singapore are investigating the effects of fluid flow on the mechanical properties of metal 3D printed parts. When it comes to metal additive manufacturing technologies like laser powder bed fusion, carefully controlling the formation of new grains and dendrites in printed parts is crucial for tuning the final grain structure. This is important because grain structure and grain size have a significant effect on almost all mechanical properties, including hardness, yield strength, tensile strength, fatigue strength, and impact strength. There are a whole host of factors and parameters that can influence the formation of new grains and dendrites in 3D printing, but temperature gradient and solidification velocity are already thought to be prime determinants. According to the researchers however, the effects of fluid flow in the melt pool of a 3D printed part haven’t yet been investigated. SEM imaging of a… read more
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