21–30 of 96 posts
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Valuing "completely obsessed" employees is a great way to build a company with toxic burnout culture. Some people want lives outside of work and are still good at their jobs.
This may surprise you, but it's possible to be completely obsessed with your work (while you're working!), while also maintaining a work-life balance.
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side question to this: where can i design stuff involving metal parts (presumably in CAD tools) and have it printed en masse? With PCBs? ex) car components
You can draw up mechanical components in Autodesk Fusion, OnShape, SOLIDWORKS for Makers, or FreeCAD, and send STEP or STL to PCBWay or JLCPCB in China for manufacturing(note that export restrictions may apply if it's literal rockets or otherwise dual-use/controlled in nature). PCB mounting outlines can be exported from above 3D CAD and imported to EDA tools such as Altium and KiCAD; KiCAD is fine unless you're doing…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
You can draw up mechanical components in Autodesk Fusion, OnShape, SOLIDWORKS for Makers, or FreeCAD, and send STEP or STL to PCBWay or JLCPCB in China for manufacturing(note that export restrictions may apply if it's literal rockets or otherwise dual-use/controlled in nature). PCB mounting outlines can be exported from above 3D CAD and imported to EDA tools such as Altium and KiCAD; KiCAD is fine unless you're doing…
thank you so much for this detailed answer. now i just need to invest some time into learning CAD and KiCAD
For the electrical side, there are plenty of schematics online that you can try to copy or use as a starting point. And the CAD side can be a simple box with snap fits. I'd recommend OnShape if you're just starting out since it's the lowest barrier of entry, but Fusion 360 is also good. All in, it should be After you get the satisfaction of seeing your device charge from something you made, then you'll start getting the itch and find more excuses to make things.
NASA's report server is a national treasure, especially the material from the 50s and 60s that he references. Some of the most crisp and succinct technical writing you'll find, and you can infer a lot about how they ran projects. Declassified NRO reports are also very good - you can see the Lockheed Skunk Works principles in action. Example: https://www.nro.gov/Portals/135/documents/foia/declass/WS117...
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thank you so much for this detailed answer. now i just need to invest some time into learning CAD and KiCAD
You could try a battery powered phone charger since it's a "relatively simple" first project. The big hurdle for learning these types of tools is usually "What buttons do I press to create the output that I want. For the electrical side, there are plenty of schematics online that you can try to copy or use as a starting point. And the CAD side can be a simple box with snap fits. I'd recommend OnShape if you're just s…
Can you use ChatGPT to build a Saturn V?
Nice read. The fact that it is possible to 3d print metal parts that withstand temperatures and pressures of a rocket engine is so exciting. How expensive is it?
After the printing itself, one will have to remove to loose powder, which for small cooling channels in the walls of the combustion chamber is very challenging and time consuming.
After that, some post-processing may also be necessary. One process for achieving the greatest strength is hot isostatic pressing, when the part is baked in a furnace in a retort filled with a very high pressure inert gas.
Specifically for rocket engines, it is also desirable to have a layer with the high heat conductivity on the inside, typically made of a copper-based alloy, and the external structure from a higher strength material. This means either bi-metallic printing, which is a rather niche process, or some metal deposition process over the printed part.
In addition to this, there is usually quality control, for example, high resolution industrial computed tomography, to make sure that the invisible internal features have been fabricated and cleaned out correctly.
In addition to the additive steps, it will also be necessary to machine the features which are impractical or impossible to build sufficiently accurately.
Together, these steps add to a significant cost.
Some of the above processes can be seen in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pXEf0wHU1Y
NASA's report server is a national treasure, especially the material from the 50s and 60s that he references. Some of the most crisp and succinct technical writing you'll find, and you can infer a lot about how they ran projects. Declassified NRO reports are also very good - you can see the Lockheed Skunk Works principles in action. Example: https://www.nro.gov/Portals/135/documents/foia/declass/WS117...
- Yellow is bad
- The 60s were awesome
Earlier quoted context omitted.
You could try a battery powered phone charger since it's a "relatively simple" first project. The big hurdle for learning these types of tools is usually "What buttons do I press to create the output that I want. For the electrical side, there are plenty of schematics online that you can try to copy or use as a starting point. And the CAD side can be a simple box with snap fits. I'd recommend OnShape if you're just s…
I'll follow your recommendation and try the simple stuff. Looks like OnShape is right up my alley. All very exciting feels like I'm "programming hardware " !