We could all relate to how much SpaceX has been battling with surface finishing of the
starship all this while, up to the extent they have to go as far as filing the welded
surface of the starship to arrive at a smooth, shiny surface.
But these processes involved in filing off carbon or pieces of metal from the starship's
stainless-steel body prove to exhaust more human effort, and it's also time-consuming
and, at the same time, depleting much more materials.
Hence SpaceX intends to change the game of starship welding from the ground up using
the 3D printing robot.
The question is, how will this be done?
How can SpaceX engineers weld the whole 165 feet fully stacked starship using 3D welding
robots?
And with less human inspection?
Stay tuned as we dive deep and explore SpaceX's game-changing 3D engineering concept.
SpaceX, a company that initiated a ground-breaking technology of the starship rocket, and launched
it into space, what no man ever imagined, even in a transcending spiritual prey, is
now at it again.
Haven employed the orthodox method of engineering.
SpaceX is tired of doing what they have been doing before, which always results in a shitty
and messy-looking finishing of the starship.
You could also agree that as time goes on, there are always rooms for improvements in
any progressive engineering quest.
So, SpaceX welding and fabrication are deemed to get improved.
The company has employed manual welding over all these years by welding the stainless-steel
metal into rings before placing them on each other and welding one after the other to form
a hollow cylindrical starship.
But this time, another method has been discovered – the 3D rocket printing robot, which is
a ground-breaking technology, that will print the whole starship structure from the ground
up, almost without human effort or inspection – what does this process involves, if you
may ask yourself?
Well, 3D printing uses specialized equipment to create solid, three-dimensional objects
from the design software.
The practice had existed since the 1980s when Charles W. Hull invented the process and created
the first 3D-printed part.
Since then, the field of 3D printing has grown immensely and holds countless possibilities.
It is a process that uses computer-aided design, or CAD, to create 3D objects from various
materials, like molten plastic or powders.
3D printers can come in multiple shapes and sizes, ranging from equipment that can fit
on a desk to large construction models used to make 3D-printed houses.
They work from the ground up and pile on layer after layer until the object looks like it
was designed on the CAD software.
The flexibility, accuracy, and speed of 3D printers make them a promising tool for the
future of manufacturing.
Today, many 3D printers are used for what is called rapid prototyping.
Companies worldwide now employ 3D printers to create prototypes in a matter of hours
instead of wasting months and millions of dollars in research and development.
Some businesses claim that 3D printers make the prototyping process ten times faster and
five times cheaper than manual processes.
When you have traditional manufacturing, you end up with a factory full of expensive tooling.
By introducing 3D printing as a baseline to the manufacturing process, you now have a
flexible rather than a fixed tool.
And that makes it much easier to change and modify the designs, especially compared to
anyone else that relies on the traditional way in the industry.
This process differs from subtractive manufacturing, which means you keep removing material from
a solid object until you get your desired shape and size.
A typical example is while working using the lathe machine or the work done in any machining
workshops.
one major advantage with 3d printing is that you can make complex shapes easier and magnitudes
faster than traditional manufacturing processes.
3d printing is now routinely used in many industries as it has passed the stage where
it was only helpful in making prototypes and can now make full-blown products.
They are used in fields like healthcare to consumer products; they also make good tools
for teaching design acumen research and consulting forecasts.
Musk plans to get SpaceX to the level where it can make a complete starship in, at most,
a week, requiring immense speed.
There is another reason Musk wants to speed up the building process of starship rocket
by employing 3D printing machine to do major aspect of starship manufacturing.
3d printing of rockets is one of the cool tech people hear about and see for the first
time and go wow.
It is impressive to watch a piece or component grow from nothing to its full size.
The onslaught of inquiries follows How does it work?
Can it print anything?
Can it print a car?
What about a house?
It may shock you to know that a 3D printer can do all these, if it is designed for the
purpose.
However, few people will inquire whether 3D printing applies to only rockets unless they
are Elon Musk, a billionaire tech entrepreneur who makes his living by taking risks while
others keep being curious about what actually is going on.
We call someone like this a genius.
Another thought is that reducing manufacturing costs is another benefit of the quicker technique
of part fabrication.
You might be surprised to learn that the cost of manufacturing the starship rocket is not
governed by the price of its pretty affordable components.
Instead, the cost is defined by the human labor required to turn these materials into
functional parts and ensure they will function as intended.
Because rockets are known for having numerous features—the space shuttle system, for instance,
has 2.5 million pieces- completing the project would be nearly impossible without a 3D printer.
Similarly, if SpaceX does not use 3D printing, they will have to build the starship components,
one after the other, from scratch and then assemble them.
However, thanks to 3D printing, the company can integrate some sections into a single
piece.
Musk is always willing to adopt any strategy that will reduce costs and save time.
Over time, so many 3D printers have been used in the design of machines serving a variety
of functions; during the casting process, these printers have consistently cut corners
while maintaining a high level of precision.
An example is Stargate, the largest metal 3D printer in the world and was entirely built
in-house.
It is made of a core that consists of three robot arms, one of which is responsible for
printing while the other two are responsible for post-processing.
This industrial robot arm has six degrees of freedom, which makes it possible to move
in any direction within a radius of approximately 14 feet from its center.
The three-floor Space Habitat prototype that a Rosenberg student created is yet another
area in which 3D robotic printing has shown to us that it will transform how we build
our homes within the next ten years.
Switzerland is officially the spot where the crazy 3D-printed space habitat prototype that
was supposed to fit inside SpaceX Starship has finally landed.
SAGA Space Architects collaborated with Swiss children now enrolled in elementary, middle,
and high schools to develop a light-infused design for the moon or Mars exploration.
Students at the Institute of Rosenberg, with ages ranging from 6 to 18, worked tirelessly
for several years to develop a model for potential future astronauts that would be able to fit
inside the casing of SpaceX's powerful Starship rocket.
The results, unveiled on July 20th, reveal a structure soaked with light and designed
in alliance with a Danish architecture firm called SAGA Space Architects.
The three-story facility features areas officially set up for the use of analog astronauts for
both working and relaxing.
It was revealed from the source that the luxurious construction was built from the ground up
using a 3D printer, which was an excellent option for getting something as exquisite
as this.
It is planned that these students will finish what is called "immersive learning modules"
for the following few years.
The institution decided in a statement timed to coincide with the 53rd anniversary of the
first human landing on the moon.
This structure is believed to be the highest 3D-printed polymer structure in the world,
standing at 23 feet.
In a statement, Bernhard Gademann, director general of Rosenberg, said, "We aim to provide
future leaders with early exposure to the question of advanced space exploration, allowing
our students to approach and solve complex questions from a collaborative and holistic
point of view."
It took two years to build the Rosenberg Space Habitat from "first creative ideas and paper
models," according to the institute.
Industrial partners assisted with the inside structure in Copenhagen, and the exterior
shell was 3D-printed in Milan.
The purposeful but rather unusual choice to employ polymer in 3D printing was made because
"it provides greater uniqueness than concrete, which is used in most 3D printed models."
The polymer material does feature a UV stabilizer to increase its durability in advance of the
intense ultraviolet UV radiation that would be present on the surface of the moon or Mars.
According to Rosenberg, planned investigations will look at the hardware, software, remote
mission control systems, and "sensory stimulation" such as light, sound, and scent.
Additionally, students will participate in projects that simulate "systems thinking,"
the relationships between the components of complex systems, and artificial intelligence.
Is 3D printing a good idea for starship manufacturing to run faster and look exquisite?
The New Upgrade On Starship's Welding Will Change Everything as well, to know more just
click on the video.