Orbex has commissioned Germany-based AMCM, a supplier of custom, high-performance industrial 3-D printing solutions, to build the largest industrial 3-D printer in Europe, enabling the innovative UK-based space launch company to rapidly manufacture complex rocket engines in-house.

The custom-made, large volume 3-D printer will give Orbex the capacity to 3-D print more than 35 large-scale rocket engine and main stage turbopump systems annually, as the company scales up its production capabilities ready to begin launches.

The multi-million pound deal was signed with AMCM, following a series of successful trials printing various large-scale rocket components over a number of months. AMCM will deliver a complete printing suite with post-processing machinery and ‘Machine Vision’ systems, providing automatic imaging based inspection of printed components. To accommodate the new machinery, Orbex is expanding its factory floor space by an additional 1,000m².

The 3-D printing system will manufacture rocket parts, as a single piece, eliminating the weaknesses which can arise from joining and welding, using a custom blend of metals including titanium and aluminium to create lightweight components designed to withstand the temperature and pressure extremes of spaceflight.

The 3-D printed rocket parts will be critical components of Orbex's launch vehicle, a 19m long “microlauncher” rocket, designed to deliver small satellites into polar orbits around the Earth. Planning permission was granted for Orbex’s home spaceport, Space Hub Sutherland, on the A’Mhoine peninsula in Sutherland in August 2020.

The A’Mhoine site is currently the only UK spaceport to receive planning permission, with construction expected to begin in 2021 and the first orbital launch expected in 2022.

Uniquely for a commercial rocket, Prime is fuelled by bio-propane, a clean-burning, renewable fuel which reduces CO₂ emissions by 90% compared to kerosene-based fuels. The Prime rocket was designed to be re-usable, incorporating a novel recovery and reusability system and has also been designed to leave no debris in orbit around the Earth.

Orbex CEO Chris Larmour said: “Although our rocket engines and other critical systems are already quite mature after years of testing, a large-scale in-house 3-D printing system like this gives us far greater speed and agility as we ramp up production

Multiple launches per year
“It means we can continue to iterate and drive up performance even further. Longer term, as we get ready for multiple launches per year, it will give us greater control over our costs and supply chain. After exhaustive trials, the results we have seen from AMCM were very successful and we are confident that we have made the right choice of partner.”

Martin Bullemer, AMCM managing director, said: “Investing in a large-scale 3-D printing system like this says a lot about Orbex’s ambition in the European spaceflight sector. If they are to lead the European market, they need the production reliability and speed that a large-scale 3-D printing system like this will give them, and although this is a major purchase, it will allow for significant cost control for Orbex in the years to come.”

Orbex recently announced that it had secured $24 million in a funding round led by BGF, the UK’s most active investment company, and Octopus Ventures, one of the largest venture capital investors in Europe. The additional funding brings significant new investment in high technology employment opportunities and large-scale production facilities in the Scottish Highlands.