We don’t know about you, but we think 3D printing has gone completely nuts over the past couple of months in a very good way. But we think they all pale in comparison to what NASA just did with the help of 3D printing. They used 3D printing to create a part to be used in a friggin rocket!
The 3D-printed part that was to be used in a rocket engine is the largest NASA has ever built to date. The part NASA created through 3D printing was the rocket’s engine injector, which it recently just passed its most important test that allowed it to survive extremely hot temperatures. The 3D-printed rocket engine injector was able to generate 10 times more thrust than prior 3D-printed injectors, which we certainly consider to be a major improvement.
Lucky for us, NASA also released a video showing off the 3D-printed rocket part test, which you can see for yourself includes a whole lot of fire. The success of this test is said to bring NASA closer to proving 3D printing can be used to reduce the cost of such specific hardware. This is also a very good thing for the pockets of tax-paying Americans.