Ireland Degges
Ursa Major has revealed its new method for designing and producing solid rocket motors.
The Lynx approach utilizes 3D printing to accelerate the manufacturing of this technology while increasing cost-effectiveness, the Denver, Colorado-based company announced on Monday.
“Lynx meets the defense industry’s need for a faster, cheaper, scalable and flexible SRM production process that results in better-performing solid rocket motors,” said Joe Laurienti, founder and CEO of Ursa Major.
He said the enterprise applied its “extensive experience in additive manufacturing, materials development and propulsion production” to create an “adaptable manufacturing process that is designed to mass produce multiple systems” while quickly pivoting from one model to another to deliver SRMs swiftly and at scale.
Lynx is built on flexible production components that utilize additive manufacturing as well as a product-agnostic tooling system, allowing the production of multiple SRM systems concurrently. The adaptable method is also used for energetics, enabling Ursa Major to work directly with the U.S. Department of Defense and other SRM providers on propellants.
This approach is able to print more than 1,650 man-portable motor casings in a one-year period. It can be used to produce a variety of motors with diameters between 2 and 22.5 inches, which are compatible with multiple missile systems.
Lynx-produced SRMs were developed to carry additional propellant while maintaining the same engine footprint as traditional motor systems and making it possible for common propellants to be used for multiple applications. This method of manufacturing is also designed to minimize rigorous, labor-intensive production processes and expedite product assembly.
Currently, Ursa Major is developing the foundational technology, which it aims to scale to different motor sizes and applications within the next year.
