Neural design produced a single‑piece 3D‑printed aerospike
A NEURON algorithm reportedly designed and printed a fully functional copper aerospike rocket engine in one piece, using physics‑guided rules for cooling with LOX/kerosene at extreme temperatures — and video shows test activity shared. The thread frames this as a leap in rapid, topology‑aware propulsion design and thermal management for high‑temperature cycles. Developers point to the combination of generative algorithms and additive manufacturing as a route to faster engine iteration.
LEAP 71’s Large Computational Engineering Model, Noyron, reportedly produced the aerospike geometry in roughly three weeks and the tested prototype generated about 5 kilonewtons (5,000 N) of thrust on the stand. leap71.com The part was manufactured as a single monolithic component in a CuCrZr copper alloy using laser powder bed fusion on industrial machines (AconityMIDI+ / EOS-class capability) with depowdering by Solukon and heat treatment at the Fraunhofer ILT. 3dprintingindustry.com Static firing took place at Airborne Engineering’s Wescott test site (UK), with reports of an initial ~3.5‑second checkout followed by a 12‑second steady burn during the June 2024 campaign. gigazine.net Thermal management was implemented as an internal regenerative network that floods the central spike with cryogenic oxygen while routing kerosene around the chamber exterior, and the campaign reported combustion gas temperatures near 3,500 °C over the spike surface. metal-am.com Partners and next steps named in press coverage include Aconity3D (manufacturer), the University of Sheffield’s Race‑2‑Space team (test preparation/support), and plans to scale to a ~20 kN methane/LOX demonstrator after the 5 kN KeroLOX prototype. 3dprintingindustry.com LEAP 71 has said Noyron can iterate designs in minutes and move from specification to manufactured hardware in weeks, with the company processing hot‑fire data to refine physics models and accelerate subsequent design cycles. 3dprint.com
