How 3D Printing is Transforming Manufacturing and Rocket Design

Imagine a world where complexity is free and the supply chain is as short as a digital file. Welcome to the era of Additive Manufacturing! This session charts the meteoric rise of 3D printing, from its humble beginnings in stereolithography to the cutting-edge metal and multi-material systems currently redefining what's possible. We will break down the mechanics of the seven core AM processes—including Powder Bed Fusion and Directed Energy Deposition—to reveal how they unlock design freedoms traditional manufacturing can’t touch. From bioprinting living tissue and orbiting aerospace components to sustainable construction and personalized nutrition, discover how AM is shrinking supply chains and fueling a new era of high-performance, custom production.

Within the past decade, the use of 3D printed parts have skyrocketed in the aerospace industry. Companies including SpaceX, Relativity, Impulse Space, and more use 3D printing to create parts with complex geometries such as integrated cooling channels in engines, or light weight lattice structures in structural components. However, ensuring the reliability of these complex parts and qualifying them for flight requires years of development, and thousands of dollars in destructive testing. Thus, NASA has funded the Institute for Model Based Qualification and Certification of Additive Manufacturing (IMQCAM) to make a digital twin of the part from the powder feedstock through the printing and heat treating to the final test environment to reduce the need of expensive experiments. This talk will focus on the design and printing of a complex engine-like part, and current models which can be used to predict common defects from the printing environment. Stop by for a behind-the-scenes look at the fabrication and testing of rocket parts. It’ll be out of this world!