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Key Points

Agnikul Cosmos has launched India's first large-scale additive manufacturing hub dedicated to aerospace. The facility will 3D print rocket components, dramatically speeding up production. It was inaugurated by top officials from ISRO and IIT Madras, highlighting its strategic importance. This move strengthens India's domestic space technology capabilities and follows Agnikul's recent historic rocket launch.

Key Points: Agnikul Launches India First 3D Printing Rocket Manufacturing Hub

  • Facility enables 3D printing of rocket components up to one metre in height
  • Inaugurated by ISRO Chairman Dr V Narayanan and IIT Madras Director
  • Aims to reduce the cost of building for space by 50 percent
  • Follows Agnikul's world-first launch of a single-piece 3D printed engine
2 min read

Agnikul launches India's first additive manufacturing hub for rockets

Agnikul Cosmos opens India's first additive manufacturing facility for rockets, cutting production costs by 50% and enabling flight-ready hardware in days.

"By developing not just printing capacity but also full-scale machines in-house, we are equipping ourselves to build space transportation systems faster - Srinath Ravichandran, Agnikul CEO"

New Delhi, Sep 23

Taking a step forward towards an Atmanirbhar Bharat in space technology, domestic space-tech player Agnikul Cosmos has launched the first-of-its-kind additive manufacturing facility.

The Large Format Additive Metal Manufacturing (LFAMM) Unit is dedicated to aerospace and rocket systems. It will, for the first time in India, enable 3D printing of aerospace and rocket components up to one metre in height.

The facility, inaugurated by Dr. V. Narayanan, Secretary, Department of Space & Chairman of ISRO, and Prof. V. Kamakoti, Director of IIT Madras, among others, introduces a fully integrated ecosystem covering design, simulation, printing, post-processing, and finishing. It will enhance quality, reliability, and supply chain resilience, while lowering the cost of building for space by 50 per cent.

“Inaugurated our new end-to-end Large Format Additive Metal Manufacturing (LFAMM) Unit -- a step forward towards an Atmanirbhar Bharat in space technology,” Agnikul shared in a post on social media platform X.

“This facility houses: India’s largest 3D metal printer for large space-tech systems -- an indigenous de-powdering machine, designed and built in-house for repeatable post processing … and a lot more,” it added.

With the LFAMM Unit, Agnikul can now deliver fully finished, flight-ready hardware within a few days.

“Agnikul was started with the goal of making space available to everyone. One way to do that is to build capability that allows us to advance rocket manufacturing with precision while also focusing on quality,” said Srinath Ravichandran, co-founder and chief executive officer 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 added.

In 2024, Agnikul also launched the world's first rocket with a single-piece three-dimensional (3D) printed engine.

The rocket Agnibaan SOrTeD (SubOrbital Technological Demonstrator) is also India's first semi-cryogenic engine-powered rocket launch that was completely designed and manufactured indigenously.

The IIT Madras incubatee holds a US patent for single-piece 3D-printed rocket engines.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

R
Rohit P
IIT Madras incubatee making India proud again! The single-piece 3D printed engine patent shows we're not just copying but innovating. Hope this inspires more engineering students to enter aerospace.
S
Sarah B
Impressive achievement, but I hope they're also focusing on environmental sustainability. 3D printing can generate waste - would be good to know their green initiatives.
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Arjun K
From design to finished hardware in days? That's incredible speed! This is exactly what we need to compete globally. Private space companies are the future. Jai Hind! 🚀
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Karthik V
The collaboration between ISRO, IIT Madras, and private companies is the perfect model for innovation. When government, academia, and industry work together, magic happens!
M
Michael C
As someone working in manufacturing, the indigenous de-powdering machine development is particularly impressive. Most companies import such equipment. True atmanirbharta!

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