INNOSPACE demos proprietary AM low-overhanging strategy
South Korean company uses approach to 3D print a closed dome vessel with zero internal supports
INNOSPACE, an aerospace and defense manufacturing and engineering company based in South Korea, has underlined its status as a world leader in hybrid rocket technology by successfully demonstrating its proprietary low-overhang strategy for 3D printing by producing a spherical vessel with zero internal supports.
The dome was manufactured from Ti-6Al-4V Grade 23, a titanium alloy containing aluminium and vanadium. It was engineered using Oqton’s 3DXpert – an all-in-one industrial additive manufacturing software solution that covers the design, preparation, build, and inspection stages of 3D printed parts.
Domes or spheres produced via conventional additive manufacturing processes usually require specialized hardware, unique machine architectures, or exotic hatching algorithms. However, INNOSPACE achieved the print using a standard Laser Beam Powder Bed Fusion (PBF-LB) AM system.
The achievement paves the way for the company’s next product line, stated Jo Intaek, Director of INNOSPACE’s Advanced Manufacturing Business Division: parametric AM pressure vessels for space applications, with capacities ranging from 1-15 litres and fully scalable.
“This is what AM as a product means to us,” stated Intaek. “Technology you can trust, delivered at rocket speed with aerospace quality.”
The technology applies to both oxidizers and fuel tanks.
INNOSPACE has been pioneering additive manufacturing in South Korea since its launch in 2017, and last year became the first Korean company to pass a shipment inspection for metal AM equipment in accordance with international standards.
It also established its Advanced Manufacturing Division, based on multiple metal additive manufacturing systems, to produce in-house rocket engines and core components for space launch vehicles.
