Utilization of Additive Manufacturing at Virgin Orbit
Speaker: Dayle Alexander, Propulsion Development Engineer, Virgin Orbit & Oluseun Taiwo, Engineer, Propulsion Advanced Development/Additive Manufacturing, Virgin Orbit
Additive manufacturing is becoming an increasingly common way to produce parts in the space industry. It allows the designer to create more complex geometries than what is possible with traditional machining. Beyond that, it enables a faster production rate and reduces costs. At Virgin Orbit, a number of different additive manufacturing techniques are used and a number of 3D printed components are being developed and used in many different ways. This presentation will show some of the projects completed at Virgin Orbit. These projects have utilized Direct-Energy Deposition (DED) printing for outer cooling jackets on combustion chambers, Powder Bed printing for complex geometry components, and even ABS plastic printing for fast prototypes or test components.