3D-Printed Solid Rocket Fuel Could Open the Door for New Rocket Designs

Minnesota-based Chromatic 3D Materials has developed a novel way to build solid fuel for booster rocket designs: 3D printing it. This could enable novel rocket shapes and sizes, as well as more precise control over the production process, leading to more stable and predictable solid-fuel rockets.

The process for producing solid rocket fuel and solid-fuel rockets has changed little over the decades. The fuel and oxidizer are mixed with a binder into a slurry, which is then poured into the rocket shell and left to harden with a metal rod at its center. This metal rod is then removed, leaving a gap for the combustion chamber. When the fuel is ignited, it burns from the inside out, giving some control over the burn rate, fuel quantity, and eventual burn time.

But this process is still rather imprecise. Cracks and fissures can form during curing due to air bubbles in the...

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