Feb 6, 2018 | By Tess

Even if you’re not a space aficionado you’ll likely have heard about SpaceX’s upcoming Falcon Heavy rocket launch. The rocket, which is actually scheduled to take off later today, is set to become the most powerful craft of its kind.

SpaceX, headed by the ever-ambitious business magnate Elon Musk, is hoping the launch will break ground within the space launch industry. If successful, the Falcon Heavy launch could mark a small step towards Musk’s ultimate goal of establishing colonies on Mars.

SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket prepares to launch today

(Image: SpaceX)

Here on Earth, if you’re looking for a way to celebrate or commemorate the momentous occasion (or if you’re just a big fan of the space-chic aesthetic), Andrew McCalip, founder of Cosine Additive, has designed and 3D printed a chandelier inspired by SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket.

The Falcon 9, so named because it is powered by nine first-stage engines, was arguably SpaceX’s most famous rocket model before the much larger Falcon Heavy took the spotlight. (It does, after all, have 27 engines!)

Still, for a living room setting, nine thruster engines conveys the rocket effect beautifully. And, as McCalip says on his blog: “When you own a fleet of giant composite extrusion 3D printers and love space like we do, stuff like this happens.”

McCalip and his team at Cosine Additive relied on the company’s pellet extrusion 3D printing technology for the project, with the pellet feed system reportedly opening up the material possibilities for the 3D printed rocket-inspired hanging lamp.

The Falcon 9 chandelier, which can be ordered here, comes in two different material options. The first model is made from polycarbonate reinforced with glass fiber and costs $500. It has a flexural yield of 210 MPa and a Youngs Modulus of 17 HPa.

The second, more luxurious model is made from a combination of Polyphenylene sulfide (PPS)—one of the strongest thermoplastics to be 3D printed—and carbon fiber. Printed at a speed of 9,000 mm/min using a 4 mm nozzle, the PPS Falcon 9 chandelier purportedly “rings like a bell when struck.” It also boasts a flexural modulus of 39 GPa and flexural strength of 343 MPa. Understandably, this model is slightly more expensive, priced at $600.

The rocket-inspired chandelier, which is sure to please any enthusiastic followers of SpaceX and Elon Musk, is also likely to appeal to fans of trendy interior design.

Posted in 3D Design

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