Leap 71 Showcases Revolutionary Additive Manufacturing of Rocket Engines at Formnext

Leap 71, a cutting-edge computational engineering firm, has partnered with EPlus3D and Aconity3D to create two of the largest, single-piece 3D printed rocket engines ever produced. Unveiled at Formnext 2024, these engines represent a major leap in the integration of additive manufacturing (AM) in aerospace technology. Using its proprietary Noyron Large Computational Engineering Model, Leap 71 has successfully developed engines that push the limits of size, performance, and material science in rocket propulsion.

EPlus3D’s Record-Breaking 3D Printed Rocket Thruster
EPlus3D will showcase what is believed to be the world’s largest single-piece 3D printed rocket thruster. Standing at 1.3 meters tall and constructed from aluminium, the engine was printed using the EP650-1600 metal powder bed fusion system. This engine, which represents a 40 times more powerful version of Leap 71’s previously tested TKL-5 thruster, features a dual cooling system that combines cryogenic liquid oxygen for regenerative cooling and kerosene for nozzle cooling. This new design, which took 354 hours to print, weighs in at 43.5 kg and will be displayed at Formnext in Hall 12.0, booth E101.

Aconity3D’s Advanced Copper Aerospike Engine
In collaboration with Aconity3D, Leap 71 has also developed a 5kN aerospike rocket engine using CuCrZr copper, a material specially chosen for its thermal conductivity properties. The aerospike design, which eliminates the traditional bell nozzle in favor of a central spike surrounded by a toroidal combustion chamber, presents unique manufacturing challenges, particularly with cooling. The engine uses cryogenic liquid oxygen to cool the spike via conformal cooling channels and kerosene to cool the outer chamber. Aconity3D optimized its printing process to handle this advanced design, which required no post-processing except for thread cutting. This aerospike engine will be displayed in Hall 12.0, booth D02 at Formnext.

Future Test Firing Plans
Both of these engines are poised for further testing, with Leap 71 preparing to conduct a test fire of the aerospike engine after integrating necessary sensors and propellant feeds. These innovations in rocket engine design are set to revolutionize space propulsion by leveraging additive manufacturing for more efficient, cost-effective, and powerful propulsion systems.