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CW3_OR_BUST t1_j8mzhgk wrote

Reply to comment by [deleted] in NASA's "evolved structures" radically reduce weight – and waiting by Maxcactus

Sometimes a chunk of metal is easier to get than a how many barrels of such a fine powder, too. Powdered metal isn't exactly straightforward. There's a lot of ways that the process can go wrong, and leave contamination in the powder from tooling and transportation. On the other hand, a billet of most alloys is easy to make any size, and a lot cheaper in most cases, and can give much more repeatable crystal structure.

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cjameshuff t1_j8naiwr wrote

> Sometimes a chunk of metal is easier to get

Sometimes it's the only way to get a particular material. You're not getting single-crystal structures out of a powder bed, for example. And processes such as forging bulk materials can have desirable effects on its microscopic structure.

And yes, there are also things you can do with additive methods that you can't with casting and machining. Different manufacturing approaches have different tradeoffs. Ultimately, you'll make most effective use of these techniques by applying them where they're most effective, rather than, oh, trying to print an entire rocket or something.

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nsa_reddit_monitor t1_j8nl1f1 wrote

I want them to print an entire rocket because then I can take those designs and print a really tiny rocket at home.

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DaoFerret t1_j8o64km wrote

Knock knock knock

This is the department of homeland security! Your neighbor said you were building rockets in your garage!

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erinaceus_ t1_j8odyk7 wrote

Yes, and it really worked! I was over the moon when I found that out!

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