Case Study: European Space Agency achieves lighter, optimized in-space satellite engine components with 3D Systems' Direct Metal Printing

European Space Agency Investigates Metal Printed Parts for In-Space Satellite Engines

3D Systems partnered with the European Space Agency to evaluate Direct Metal Printing (DMP) for critical in-space satellite engine components—injectors, combustion chambers and expansion nozzles. ESA’s challenge was to assess DMP’s maturity and design opportunities to reduce weight, simplify assemblies, improve thermal and propellant flow management, and enable late-stage design adaptation for bi‑propellant communication satellite engines.

Using its On Demand Parts Manufacturing Services, 3D Systems produced flight‑representative parts in Ti6Al4V and DMP‑enabled design variants (including a monolithic injector and thin‑walled chamber supported by a low‑density mesh). Results showed practicable manufacturing (verified by 130 µm x‑ray imaging), a reduction of injector subassemblies from more than five parts to one, relative microstructure density up to 99.98%, mesh volumetric density as low as 12% for major weight and safety‑margin gains, and greater design flexibility vs. traditional fabrication.

European Space Agency

Simon Hyde

European Space Agency