Development of additive manufacturing and post-processing methods for fabrication of rhenium propulsion systems

Additive manufacturing (AM) of rhenium through laser powder bed fusion has distinct advantages over traditional rhenium manufacturing approaches. Advantages include economical low volume production and rapid design iteration due to elimination of die tooling and the ability to manufacture complex features such as conformal cooling channels into structurally optimized components. However, AM of rhenium has not been developed to a production ready scale owing in part to high material costs. In this Phase II effort, Elementum 3D proposes to develop a full solution for AM production of complex rhenium components. This work will include development of: AM feedstock powder specification and supply chain establishment, production scale laser powder bed fusion AM process for high-quality printing of rhenium components, heat treatment processes, and component finishing. Work will also include material property testing and component level testing culminating in the hot fire of a printed rhenium propulsion component.