Author Topic: Blue Origin Manufacturing site in Florida  (Read 190486 times)

Offline edkyle99

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Re: Blue Origin Manufacturing site in Florida
« Reply #160 on: 08/01/2018 05:29 pm »
Some impressive tooling will be heading to the factory: http://www.rrstar.com/news/20180717/rockford-made-machine-to-build-parts-for-next-generation-rockets (link discovered by reddit)

Quote
Ingersoll Machine Tools has built the largest machine of its kind in the world for the world’s richest man — Amazon boss Jeff Bezos, who will use the engineering marvel to build rockets to carry humans to the moon and maybe even Mars.

It took three years to design and manufacture the Sasquatch-sized machine, which stands 51 feet tall, 136 feet long and 43 feet wide. The machine — its trademarked name is Mongoose — will be disassembled in coming weeks and shipped to Bezos’ Blue Origin rocket factory, at Kennedy Space Center’s Exploration Park on Merritt Island, Florida.

There, the machine will be reassembled and will manufacture cryogenic tanks that will be filled with liquid oxygen and hydrogen to fuel rockets. The machine also will build fairings — large aerodynamic structures that encapsulate rocket payloads like satellites and other critical equipment.

it's a fiber placement machine, and they said it will be used to build tanks, does this mean New Glenn will use carbon fiber tank too?
It seems possible.  The machine will also build fairings, the story says, and is derived from similar machines made by Ingersoll used to build 787 sections.  Here's a video of a similar Mongoose machine in action.



 - Ed Kyle
« Last Edit: 08/01/2018 05:33 pm by edkyle99 »

Online oldAtlas_Eguy

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Re: Blue Origin Manufacturing site in Florida
« Reply #161 on: 08/01/2018 08:33 pm »
I find this amusing.

If the NG is indeed a fiber composite cryo tank it will proceeded as an operational LV to that of BFR. Both of which will be large diameter applications. If this is correct this portends the beginning of the end for metal tanks on LVs. With Electron using all composite tanks/structure, BFR, even OmegA using composite case large diameter SRBs, and now it looks like NG as well completes the picture of advanced new designs of LVs (except Vulcan) going in the direction of carbon composite to save vehicle dry weight and improve performance significantly.

For reusable vehicles tank dry weight and it's ability to be reused often with very high strength margins for its weight is the holy grail. So far there is two candidates for this supper light weight tank structure designs: stainless steel balloon tank and carbon composite rigid structure. ULA is using the stainless steel balloon tank design for the Centaur V and follow-on ACES designs for weight and they have significant experience in manufacture and handling it. For others the choice of going with carbon composite yields about the same price point for performance as the stainless steel balloon tank design. It is interesting to note that carbon composite manufacture is mature enough that it yields a superior tank for the same ~costs as a aluminum alloy tank and may even be easier to manufacture for large diameter.

So awaiting the confirmation of whether NG is going to use carbon composite cryo tankage.

Offline envy887

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Re: Blue Origin Manufacturing site in Florida
« Reply #162 on: 08/01/2018 11:30 pm »
Interesting that it says "and hydrogen", with no mention of LNG. If that's accurate, it would be the upper stage at least.

In 2016 Bezos said the factory would have a "large-scale friction stir welding" machine. I can't imagine much use for such a machine on a rocket with carbon fiber tanks.

Offline Chasm

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Re: Blue Origin Manufacturing site in Florida
« Reply #163 on: 08/02/2018 01:32 am »
Sounds like upper stage / fairing to me.

Main reason is that it seems a bit short for the first stage.

Online LouScheffer

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Re: Blue Origin Manufacturing site in Florida
« Reply #164 on: 08/02/2018 12:40 pm »
So far there is two candidates for this supper light weight tank structure designs: stainless steel balloon tank and carbon composite rigid structure.

Perhaps this should go under "advanced concepts", but a carbon fiber balloon tank could have an amazing mass fraction.  Carbon fiber is lighter and stronger than stainless steel, and if you can keep it purely in tension, as in a balloon tank, you can use these properties to the full.

Offline brickmack

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Re: Blue Origin Manufacturing site in Florida
« Reply #165 on: 08/02/2018 07:51 pm »
As of 2016 New Glenn was said to use friction stir welding. Since this only mentions hydrogen and oxygen, most likely the first stage is still metallic. Also, its a bit of a reach given the image quality, but I found this cutaway picture which seems to show metallic first stage tanks and a composite second stage

Offline Markstark

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Re: Blue Origin Manufacturing site in Florida
« Reply #166 on: 08/05/2018 07:32 pm »
Definitely not the best pics




Online FutureSpaceTourist

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Re: Blue Origin Manufacturing site in Florida
« Reply #167 on: 03/22/2019 06:12 pm »
Quote
Blue Origin is expanding its already massive New Glenn rocket factory at Kennedy Space Center
EMRE KELLY | FLORIDA TODAY | 9 minutes ago

Just south of Blue Origin's imposing campus at Kennedy Space Center, an empty patch of land will soon be transformed into a sprawling, technology-laden extension of the aerospace company's existing rocket manufacturing facility.

Labeled as "South Campus" in water management district documents obtained by FLORIDA TODAY, the 90-acre expansion will connect to the factory at Exploration Park

https://amp.floridatoday.com/amp/3226113002
« Last Edit: 03/22/2019 06:13 pm by FutureSpaceTourist »

Offline b0objunior

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Re: Blue Origin Manufacturing site in Florida
« Reply #168 on: 03/22/2019 07:32 pm »
I made an image for a better view of where the expension will be. Pretty big expension.

Offline PM3

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Re: Blue Origin Manufacturing site in Florida
« Reply #169 on: 03/25/2019 07:01 pm »
The "expansion" may be related to this, as reported by NSF in November 2017:
Quote
Blue Origin will also build their Launch and Landing Control Center, called the L&LCC, as well as their mission support center near the factory building.
"Never, never be afraid of the truth." -- Jim Bridenstine

Offline b0objunior

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Re: Blue Origin Manufacturing site in Florida
« Reply #170 on: 04/11/2019 10:13 pm »
Two new images from the Walt Street Journal article "Can Jeff Bezos Make Money in Space?". I'm wondering if it's a painting chamber?
« Last Edit: 04/11/2019 10:17 pm by b0objunior »

Offline Chasm

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Re: Blue Origin Manufacturing site in Florida
« Reply #171 on: 04/12/2019 04:57 am »
Could be.
Insert air from above, remove from the bottom. Places to get air all along the length.

Looks like a slightly heavy door though. And why silvery surfaces?

Second guess is a big oven to cure carbon fibre parts. Not an autoclave - out of autoclave. :) 
Just a big, preferably insulated, room to get the part on its form to ~100°C. (Depending on the resin used. A quick search says 60-180°C with several lightly above 100°C, probably to reduce water.)

Needs a bit more image resolution to read the label on the door.

Offline b0objunior

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Re: Blue Origin Manufacturing site in Florida
« Reply #172 on: 04/12/2019 08:29 am »
Could be.
Insert air from above, remove from the bottom. Places to get air all along the length.

Looks like a slightly heavy door though. And why silvery surfaces?

Second guess is a big oven to cure carbon fibre parts. Not an autoclave - out of autoclave. :) 
Just a big, preferably insulated, room to get the part on its form to ~100°C. (Depending on the resin used. A quick search says 60-180°C with several lightly above 100°C, probably to reduce water.)

Needs a bit more image resolution to read the label on the door.
Yeah, a big oven actually makes a lot of sense.

Offline ZachF

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Re: Blue Origin Manufacturing site in Florida
« Reply #173 on: 04/12/2019 04:58 pm »
Suggestion: Maybe the expansion shown a few posts above will be a manufacturing site for satellites for the future AWS constellation?
« Last Edit: 04/12/2019 05:00 pm by ZachF »
artist, so take opinions expressed above with a well-rendered grain of salt...
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Offline b0objunior

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Re: Blue Origin Manufacturing site in Florida
« Reply #174 on: 04/12/2019 05:51 pm »
Suggestion: Maybe the expansion shown a few posts above will be a manufacturing site for satellites for the future AWS constellation?
Well, that would be an interesting idea. If they're build in-house, it could be a good place. But is Florida a good environment to build satellites?

Offline Chasm

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Re: Blue Origin Manufacturing site in Florida
« Reply #175 on: 04/12/2019 06:45 pm »
Could be. OTOH there is no real need to do it in the same location. Unless Blue has very different ideas on what to fly in a mega constellations than the competition.
Right now additional storage area makes more sense to me. Expanding while you can and making sure that the area won't be blocked by someone else in the future.
Worst case they can still rent out or sell an empty and slightly oversized factory building.

What happened to the satellite company(ies?) that prepared for the boom in and serial production of small sats that were in serve financial trouble? Esp. the one selling the building. Did someone buy them for little money?

Offline Steven Pietrobon

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Re: Blue Origin Manufacturing site in Florida
« Reply #176 on: 04/13/2019 06:12 am »
Well, that would be an interesting idea. If they're build in-house, it could be a good place. But is Florida a good environment to build satellites?

Its as good as anywhere else in the US. That's where they'll be building the Oneweb satellites.

https://www.spaceflorida.gov/projects/oneweb-satellites-manufacturing/
Akin's Laws of Spacecraft Design #1:  Engineering is done with numbers.  Analysis without numbers is only an opinion.

Offline b0objunior

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Re: Blue Origin Manufacturing site in Florida
« Reply #177 on: 04/13/2019 07:44 am »
Well, that would be an interesting idea. If they're build in-house, it could be a good place. But is Florida a good environment to build satellites?

Its as good as anywhere else in the US. That's where they'll be building the Oneweb satellites.

https://www.spaceflorida.gov/projects/oneweb-satellites-manufacturing/
Well, that's great!

Offline gtae07

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Re: Blue Origin Manufacturing site in Florida
« Reply #178 on: 04/14/2019 12:30 am »
But is Florida a good environment to build satellites?

Why wouldn’t it be? Air conditioning has been a thing in the southeast for several decades.  It would save on transport costs.  Lower costs for both the company and the employees.  And so on.

Online Coastal Ron

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Re: Blue Origin Manufacturing site in Florida
« Reply #179 on: 04/14/2019 12:38 am »
Suggestion: Maybe the expansion shown a few posts above will be a manufacturing site for satellites for the future AWS constellation?
Well, that would be an interesting idea. If they're build in-house, it could be a good place. But is Florida a good environment to build satellites?

All factories that build electronics have climate control, and clean rooms if necessary, no matter where they are located. In fact hot and dry locations are actually worse for handing electronics than hot and humid due to static electricity.

Building the satellites on-site would remove one step from their logistics planning, and might even cut costs.
If we don't continuously lower the cost to access space, how are we ever going to afford to expand humanity out into space?

 

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