Australian company Conflux Technology, which specializes in the production of heat exchangers for various industries, has entered into a partnership with a German manufacturer of space rockets.  Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA) to bring their Conflux 3D printed heat exchanger technology to an orbital rocket.

The gas heat exchangers will be made of Monel K 500 nickel-copper alloy, the company's development. This alloy is distinguished by its high corrosion resistance, strength and durability.

The heat exchanger components are manufactured using Conflux Technology's Monel K 500 metal alloy and printed using Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS) technology on the EOS M300-4. The pipeline heat exchanger will be designed, manufactured and functionally tested later this year.

The project, part of the Australian Space Agency's Moon to Mars Initiative, is funded by the Supply Chain Capabilities Grant Program, which awarded A$1 million to Conflux last year. In this way, the initiative and the grant are helping Australian projects that could contribute to NASA's current mission of manned spaceflight to the Moon and eventually Mars. In addition, the initiative also supports the Australian Space Agency's long-term goal of developing the country's aerospace industry.

3D printing is already being used in the production of aerospace components. So, in March 2023, the Terran 1 rocket was sent into space, most of the structures and components were manufactured using 3D printing processes. In the future, Relativity Space, which launched the rocket, hopes to create the next version of the Terran R rocket, made up of 95% 3D printed parts.

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