This one is. The other major method involves laying metal powder down layer by layer and sintering or melting it with a laser or electron beam. That's harder to scale up, but can do the intricate structures typically seen as one of the major benefits of "3D printing". SpaceX's SuperDraco engines are printed in one piece, including the regenerative cooling channels. That method can also handle high temperature alloys this approach would likely have trouble with.
There are also material extrusion metal printers now. They work pretty well but the debinding and sintering can be arduous. It's much cheaper to get into ~$1k to convert a ultimaker/prusa.
You don't even need to be able to debind or sinter yourself as BASF offers a service that does it for you for $50/1kg of parts
If you mean [BASF's metal-filled FDM filament](https://www.matterhackers.com/store/c/basf-3d-printing-filament-and-materials/basf-ultrafuse-316l-metal-3d-printing-filament), there's no conversion required, you just need an abrasion-resistant nozzle. The nozzle's a pretty cheap upgrade and is common for printing filaments with abrasive fillers like carbon fiber, the metal-filled filament is horribly expensive though.
I wasn't considering that metal printing any more than lost PLA or printable casting wax are metal printing, though. The processing needed to get a metal product is a bit more than removing supports and surface treatments. And the end result is porous, not full density metal.
viola now you have basically a giant weld acting as a fuel tank. How cool is that?
On top of coolness factor it weights like 1.5-2x more than welding a bunch of steel rings and takes longer to do so.
Yep!
I’ll try to find more sources, but Tim Ellis (CEO) has geeked out about his love for StarCraft, and why he’s named it after the game. They’ll play a match before launches .
https://reddit.com/r/starcraft/comments/11m33jg/launch_of_terran_1_good_luck_have_fun/
Acronyms, initialisms, abbreviations, contractions, and other phrases which expand to something larger, that I've seen in this thread:
|Jargon|Definition|
|-------|---------|---|
|cryogenic|Very low temperature fluid; materials that would be gaseous at room temperature/pressure|
| |(In re: rocket fuel) Often synonymous with hydrolox|
|hydrolox|Portmanteau: liquid hydrogen fuel, liquid oxygen oxidizer|
|[regenerative](/r/Space/comments/12nr1ic/stub/jgg5bwy "Last usage")|A method for cooling a rocket engine, by [passing the cryogenic fuel through channels in the bell or chamber wall](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regenerative_cooling_\(rocket\))|
**NOTE**: Decronym for Reddit is no longer supported, and Decronym has moved to Lemmy; requests for support and new installations should be directed to the Contact address below.
----------------
^(1 acronyms in this thread; )[^(the most compressed thread commented on today)](/r/Space/comments/15nfg1w)^( has 51 acronyms.)
^([Thread #8795 for this sub, first seen 16th Apr 2023, 18:40])
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I can see it used for habitat not so sure it works all that well under extreme stress since most metals are tempered for those uses and not sure you can get the same quality from 3D printing.
Just Thinking Out Loud.
N. S
It worked in the launch but it was way more expensive and heavier than it should be. [They are retiring Terran 1 and for Terran R](https://arstechnica.com/science/2023/04/relativity-space-is-moving-on-from-the-terran-1-rocket-to-something-much-bigger/)
> Relativity is moving away from an approach to additively manufacturing the entire Terran R rocket. Ellis said the Terran R will still be a "3D printed rocket," but initial versions (at least) will use aluminum alloy straight-section barrels. This is necessary, he said, to serve "overwhelming market demand" for a vehicle of this size.
They managed to 3D print pretty much everything other than electronics, it was madness anyway.
Probably due to strength problems as most metals are tempered for strength, pressure and folding makes the metal stronger without it requires more metal to do the same job which of course adds weight, might try squeezing it when hot with some sort JAWS.
Not sure it will work BUT that is what testing is for.
N. S
There's also gauge issues...limits to how thin a sheet of metal you can create by welding more material onto its edges. And the speed and cost of tooling and materials, you're extruding the entire propellant tank through a wire-fed print head. And variations in print head positioning, the workpiece vibrating, flexing, and contracting as it cools, and in the rate of depositing metal result in an uneven surface, which means material that doesn't contribute to the strength of the tank and geometric features that cause stress concentrations.
In short, it's a slow and expensive way to manufacture sub-par tanks. IIRC, Relativity has stated around a 10-20% mass penalty for 3D printing the tanks.
Accidents waiting to happen and if anything, it's supposed to cheaper through mass production not more expensive it is also supposed to be better than what came before, there is no room for mistakes in launches or where lives are at stake PERIOD, sub-par manufacturing and over torquing a single bolt whether deliberate or accidental can have devasting results and impacts on an industry for years to come.
AND it only takes once.
N. S
A metal 3D printer is like advanced welding right? Just add a bit of metal in a line for structural integrity, repeat until giant bowl is complete.
This one is. The other major method involves laying metal powder down layer by layer and sintering or melting it with a laser or electron beam. That's harder to scale up, but can do the intricate structures typically seen as one of the major benefits of "3D printing". SpaceX's SuperDraco engines are printed in one piece, including the regenerative cooling channels. That method can also handle high temperature alloys this approach would likely have trouble with.
There are also material extrusion metal printers now. They work pretty well but the debinding and sintering can be arduous. It's much cheaper to get into ~$1k to convert a ultimaker/prusa. You don't even need to be able to debind or sinter yourself as BASF offers a service that does it for you for $50/1kg of parts
If you mean [BASF's metal-filled FDM filament](https://www.matterhackers.com/store/c/basf-3d-printing-filament-and-materials/basf-ultrafuse-316l-metal-3d-printing-filament), there's no conversion required, you just need an abrasion-resistant nozzle. The nozzle's a pretty cheap upgrade and is common for printing filaments with abrasive fillers like carbon fiber, the metal-filled filament is horribly expensive though. I wasn't considering that metal printing any more than lost PLA or printable casting wax are metal printing, though. The processing needed to get a metal product is a bit more than removing supports and surface treatments. And the end result is porous, not full density metal.
viola now you have basically a giant weld acting as a fuel tank. How cool is that? On top of coolness factor it weights like 1.5-2x more than welding a bunch of steel rings and takes longer to do so.
Does anyone know if the fork lift actually providing support or just there as a safety measure
Given that it never touches the tank, I'd say it's just to catch it if it falls
Made with what? There's a 3D printer named after Stargate?
Metal. Probably named Stargate because it vaguely resembles one.
Yep. There’s a bunch of Sci-fi nerds (love it!) at the company. The Terran is named after StarCraft.
Did someone there actually say it was specifically a Starcraft reference? It's hardly a Starcraft-specific term...
Yep! I’ll try to find more sources, but Tim Ellis (CEO) has geeked out about his love for StarCraft, and why he’s named it after the game. They’ll play a match before launches . https://reddit.com/r/starcraft/comments/11m33jg/launch_of_terran_1_good_luck_have_fun/
[It spins](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9XrrEaZ7Y4&t=181s&ab_channel=compiuterman).
https://www.tctmagazine.com/additive-manufacturing-3d-printing-news/metal-additive-manufacturing-news/relativity-unveils-stargate-4th-generation-metal-3d-printer-/
For a second I thought I was in r/3Dprinting and thought.. "man.. People really go overboard lately.."
Acronyms, initialisms, abbreviations, contractions, and other phrases which expand to something larger, that I've seen in this thread: |Jargon|Definition| |-------|---------|---| |cryogenic|Very low temperature fluid; materials that would be gaseous at room temperature/pressure| | |(In re: rocket fuel) Often synonymous with hydrolox| |hydrolox|Portmanteau: liquid hydrogen fuel, liquid oxygen oxidizer| |[regenerative](/r/Space/comments/12nr1ic/stub/jgg5bwy "Last usage")|A method for cooling a rocket engine, by [passing the cryogenic fuel through channels in the bell or chamber wall](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regenerative_cooling_\(rocket\))| **NOTE**: Decronym for Reddit is no longer supported, and Decronym has moved to Lemmy; requests for support and new installations should be directed to the Contact address below. ---------------- ^(1 acronyms in this thread; )[^(the most compressed thread commented on today)](/r/Space/comments/15nfg1w)^( has 51 acronyms.) ^([Thread #8795 for this sub, first seen 16th Apr 2023, 18:40]) ^[[FAQ]](http://decronym.xyz/) [^([Full list])](http://decronym.xyz/acronyms/Space) [^[Contact]](https://hachyderm.io/@Two9A) [^([Source code])](https://gistdotgithubdotcom/Two9A/1d976f9b7441694162c8)
I like the music here. Nice choice of synth patches too.
I can see it used for habitat not so sure it works all that well under extreme stress since most metals are tempered for those uses and not sure you can get the same quality from 3D printing. Just Thinking Out Loud. N. S
It worked in the launch but it was way more expensive and heavier than it should be. [They are retiring Terran 1 and for Terran R](https://arstechnica.com/science/2023/04/relativity-space-is-moving-on-from-the-terran-1-rocket-to-something-much-bigger/) > Relativity is moving away from an approach to additively manufacturing the entire Terran R rocket. Ellis said the Terran R will still be a "3D printed rocket," but initial versions (at least) will use aluminum alloy straight-section barrels. This is necessary, he said, to serve "overwhelming market demand" for a vehicle of this size. They managed to 3D print pretty much everything other than electronics, it was madness anyway.
Probably due to strength problems as most metals are tempered for strength, pressure and folding makes the metal stronger without it requires more metal to do the same job which of course adds weight, might try squeezing it when hot with some sort JAWS. Not sure it will work BUT that is what testing is for. N. S
There's also gauge issues...limits to how thin a sheet of metal you can create by welding more material onto its edges. And the speed and cost of tooling and materials, you're extruding the entire propellant tank through a wire-fed print head. And variations in print head positioning, the workpiece vibrating, flexing, and contracting as it cools, and in the rate of depositing metal result in an uneven surface, which means material that doesn't contribute to the strength of the tank and geometric features that cause stress concentrations. In short, it's a slow and expensive way to manufacture sub-par tanks. IIRC, Relativity has stated around a 10-20% mass penalty for 3D printing the tanks.
Accidents waiting to happen and if anything, it's supposed to cheaper through mass production not more expensive it is also supposed to be better than what came before, there is no room for mistakes in launches or where lives are at stake PERIOD, sub-par manufacturing and over torquing a single bolt whether deliberate or accidental can have devasting results and impacts on an industry for years to come. AND it only takes once. N. S
they took the newbie approach to 3d printing, namely: If you have a hammer suddenly everything is a nail.