Description: In this project, Ultramet will develop a three-dimensional (3D) laser-directed chemical vapor deposition (CVD) additive manufacturing system to build free-form refractory metal structures for liquid rocket propulsion systems. By combining Ultramet's decades of experience in refractory metal deposition by CVD with the computer control of directed laser energy, nearly unlimited expression of part shape and metal alloy composition can be realized for next-generation rocket propulsion component fabrication. 3D additive manufacturing is currently revolutionizing many industries by offering unconstrained complex build geometries, reduced cost, reduced lead time, and reduced material usage compared with conventional manufacturing techniques. By developing laser CVD technology for refractory metals, Ultramet will bring these inherent benefits to a class of materials that are notoriously difficult to form and thus are expensive to implement. By depositing successive layers of metal directly from reactive parent gases, the system will be able to build components from rhenium, tantalum, niobium, tungsten, and their alloys with complex internal features and assembly part count reductions. In this project, Ultramet will design and build the required laser-directed CVD reactor, achieve layered deposition, and map the process conditions for the formation of rhenium metal structures.

Benefits: The proposed manufacturing technology has the potential to revolutionize the fabrication of engine and hot gas path components for liquid and solid rocket propulsion. By providing the capability to build free-form parts in refractory metals, system designers will be free to pursue optimized designs for increased performance and reduced weight while simultaneously reducing the manufacturability constraints, cost, and lead time associated with such hardware. The technology will be directly applicable to the fabrication of prototype and production propulsion components.

The proposed manufacturing technology will be directly applicable to the fabrication of propulsion components for attitude control and apogee engines for commercial and government satellites and for solid and liquid divert and attitude control systems for kinetic kill vehicles. In addition, refractory metal crucibles are a large market that would benefit from the tailorable design control to maximize value in the development of new semiconductor foundries. Refractory metals are also of great importance in nuclear fission and fusion power plant systems, where they are often the only suitable material but suffer from manufacturability limitations that would be effectively lifted by the successful realization of this technology. Specifically, tungsten components for the fusion research community and future power plants represent a significant potential market.