Student developed liquid rocket engine

Dear PCBWay Team,

Two friends and I are developing a small liquid-fueled rocket engine (approximately 12 cm in length).

We are bachelor and master students of aerospace engineering at the University of Aachen, Germany. Two of us are currently doing industry internships in space propulsion, and as a member of Space Team Aachen, I'm part of a team also developing hybrid rockets and liquid rocket engines. Once we've finished our internships, we want to use what we've learned to build this engine. We are very passionate about what we do and are always looking for interesting projects.

The engine is fueled by ethanol and oxygen (or nitrous oxide), which are common propellants in the amateur rocketry scene. The chamber pressure will be around 20 bar, and the thrust will approximately be 1.7 kN. The combined propellant massflow is around 0,6kg/ s, burning at 2000-3000 °C in the combustion chamber. To help the materials withstand these extreme temperatures, the engine uses regenerative cooling channels through the combustion chamber walls and film cooling.

The engine needs to be metal 3D printed (SLM), but our budget doesn’t allow us to fund this ourselves, especially if something goes wrong during testing or if design changes are required during development, requiring a new prototype.

Here is a first design pathfinder of the thrust chamber printed with PLA (later to be printed in metal):

With PCBWay's help, we can create better, more efficient rocket technology and spark excitement for space in the next generation. We’re thrilled about the chance to work with PCBWay and accomplish our goals together.

I run a YouTube channel with around 7,000 subscribers, and my videos average approximately 135,000 views per video. After the project is complete, I plan to create a video about it. If you decide to contribute to the project, I would gladly include advertising for your company in the video as well.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Best regards