Chennai [Tamil Nadu], September 23 : Space tech start-up Agnikul Cosmos has announced the commissioning of a new additive manufacturing for aerospace and rocket systems, the Chennai-based company has said.
The facility, it said, is designed to enable the faster production of complex custom designs with reduced waste and a nearly 50 per cent reduction in production costs.
With design, simulation, manufacturing, and testing now under one roof, Agnikul is equipped to introduce new rocket engines faster than ever before, said the company, which was incubated at IIT Madras in 2017 and builds space transportation.
The facility acts as a fully-integrated ecosystem for design, simulation, printing, post-processing, and finishing to improve quality, reliability, and enhance supply chain resiliency.
"For the first time in India, the facility also enables 3D printing of aerospace and rocket components up to one metre in height," it announced in a statement.
The facility will allow manufacturers to produce flight-ready hardware within a few daysthat were previously considered difficult for additive manufacturinga process of 3D printing to build objects, different from traditional machining. It also has an indigenously designed and developed de-powdering machine for smooth post-processing system.
"Agnikul was started with the goal of making space available to everyone. One way to do that is build capability that allows us to advance rocket manufacturing with precision while also focusing on quality," said Srinath Ravichandran, Co-founder & CEO of Agnikul Cosmos.
"By developing not just printing capacity but also full-scale machines in-house, we are equipping ourselves to build space transportation systems faster, bringing us one step closer to taking Agnikul's innovations and our customers to space," he said.
Agnikul already holds a US patent for single-piece 3D-printed rocket engines. The new facility will allow the company to print engines measuring one metre and deliver seven times the thrust of its earlier designs, the company said. With this facility that's commissioned, the company can manufacture these engines in just days, and that too in-house.
Moin SPM, Co-founder & COO of Agnikul Cosmos, said, "Our goal has always been to make access to space reliable and cost-effective. With this facility in place, we are advancing our own launch readiness and also helping shape the foundation for a self-sustaining and globally competitive space industry in India."
Agnikul Cosmos successfully launched its 3D-printed Agnibaan-SOrTeD rocket in May 2024 from Sriharikota. This was the world's first launch of a rocket with a single-piece, 3D-printed engine and the first use of a semi-cryogenic engine for an Indian rocket launch.
The company is backed by leading global and domestic investors, including Celesta Capital, Rocketship.vc, Artha Venture Fund, Artha Select Fund, Mayfield India, Pi Ventures, and Speciale Invest, with a total capital raise of $45 million to date.
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