Liquid-propellant rocket engines, which are mainly applied in the aerospace engineering, consist of lots of complex geometry parts and assemblies. Nowadays the Ukrainian aerospace engineering implements the innovative technology of selective laser melting, more widely known as 3D printing, to manufacture these assemblies. Such technology is already in extensive use in Yuzhnoye SDO.

The procedure is as follows: the mathematical model of the work-piece “is broken down” into many layers. Metal powder is delivered to the 3D printer chamber and is distributed on the powder bed in thin layer. Then a laser beam selectively melts the particles of the powder material, they crystallise and form a solid mass of the required shape and size. After that, the plate goes down one layer, and the cycle is repeated until the detail is complete.

Selective laser melting is used to handle complex processes of prototyping and small branch production of aerospace details, giving up design and manufacture of the special tools. This technique decreases the weight of the work pieces and quantity of scraps, certain technological processes (such as punching, welding and milling) are shortened or entirely cancelled. This technique is time and material effective and considerably reduces the possibility of human error.