Space enthusiast, Oliver Braun, taught himself how to 3D print to develop a replica of the Falcon 9, receiving praise from SpaceX employees.

Oliver Braun is a space enthusiast who’s developed a fruitful side hustle with the help of 3D printing. After searching and failing to find a model of SpaceX’s Falcon 9, Braun took matters into his own hands.

The rocket is famous for making history when it became the world’s first reusable design. Braun decided to make a model version of the rocket which is both accurate and detailed.

He explains: “There’s only one company in the United States that does aerospace models and creates models of SpaceX rockets, but they are extremely expensive and outdated. I thought, why not just try it myself?”

Braun’s day job is running a film production company and 3D animation studio in Germany. Although he has a “strong modeling background”, before this project, he had no experience with 3D printing.

However, now, Braun uses his 3D printer every day. Better yet, the models he creates are both so accurate and detailed that they’re drawing the attention of many SpaceX employees and fans.

https://youtu.be/8tEkrMxLfFk

Braun’s 3D Printing Process for the SpaceX Falcon 9

Braun explains the process, moving from a basis of pictures for the 3D models to using 3D Max. He explains that he was expecting his first time printing to be a mess. However, it was quite the opposite and he adds: “…most parts turned out extremely well right from the start. I’ve had maybe three failed prints, and it’s literally printing 24/7.”

Braun uses a Form 2 3D printer and is impressed by the final print quality. He explains that nobody believes the rockets are 3D printed.

However, the process isn’t at all quick or simple. To develop a rocket, Braun puts a lot of time into the manufacturing. After 3D printing all the parts, he cleans and cures them. He also sands down the support marks.

Braun adds: “In reality, I’d say 90 percent of all the work is the finishing and painting process.” This includes assembling, priming and correcting the model until it’s ready for painting. Finally, a layer of clear coating to seal everything up is added.

This is a time-consuming process and even the smallest scale Falcon takes one day of work. This includes five hours of post-processing. The Falcon Heavy takes about 50 hours of labor to manufacture.

However, the reaction from Reddit users and members of the SpaceX Facebook group is incredulous. Braun adds:

“Sometimes I feel like I’m running a small rocket lab. I’ve rearranged part of my studio into a model workshop, and I’m creating a production schedules, part lists, and assembly plans to show how to construct the models.”

Source: Formlabs