AI-3D-Printed Hypersonic Precooler for Spaceplanes
The component presented by LEAP 71 and Farsoon is a 1.5-meter tall hypersonic precooler. It was calculated by the AI Noyron and manufactured in one piece on a large-format laser powder bed system from Farsoon. The goal is a key component for air-breathing engines that are intended to take a spaceplane from the runway to orbit in a single pass. This article highlights its creation, the reliability of the statements, and its significance for developers, engineers, and tech enthusiasts.
Quelle: Own Representation
Introduction
At its core, it is a heat exchanger for hypersonic engines, designed to rapidly cool the extremely hot incoming air within fractions of a second before it enters the engine. Such components are often described as precoolers or as part of a Hypersonic Precooled Combined Cycle Engine (HPCCE). This is a combined engine that initially uses air as an oxidizer and later operates like a rocket with liquid oxygen.
At hypersonic speeds, starting around Mach 5, incoming air heats up due to compression to over 1,000 degrees Celsius. This pushes conventional turbomachinery and many materials to their limits. A very lightweight, extremely powerful precooler can cool the air rapidly, enabling lighter engines and airframes. The concept has been pursued for many years, for example, in the SABRE-Programm von Reaction Engines project.
Background
LEAP 71 is a Dubai-based company that positions itself as a pioneer in Computational Engineering. In this approach, AI models generate complete components and machines based on physical rules, manufacturing requirements, and test data. The core is Noyron, ein großes Computational-Engineering-Modell, , which, according to the company, independently generates geometries that are directly manufacturable without prior manual drawing in CAD.
Farsoon Technologies is a manufacturer of industrial Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) systems, headquartered in China. Among other things, the company offers the large-format FS811M-Plattform mit einem Bauraum von 840 x 840 x 960 Millimetern und bis zu zwölf Lasern . The FS811M-U-8 variant, on which the precooler was manufactured, is among the largest commercially available metal LPBF systems and is designed for very tall components and large production runs.
Quelle: additive.industrie.de
Digital 3D models illustrate the design process for complex components manufactured using 3D printing – a core aspect of AI-driven design.
Current Status
On November 12, 2025, LEAP 71 and Farsoon publicly announced that they had jointly developed and manufactured a 1.5-meter-tall hypersonic precooler concept on the FS811M-U-8 metal 3D printing system. The component is described as a key component for air-breathing launch vehicles that could ascend from a runway to orbit in a single step.
Between November 12 and 17, 2025, several specialized media outlets such as TCT Magazine, All3DP, Metal AM and 3D Printing Industry reported on the project, highlighting the combination of AI-based design and large-format metal AM. All sources confirm the height, manufacturing process, and Noyron's role in geometry generation.
According to LEAP 71, Noyron uses a so-called fractal folding algorithmus , which folds the internal structure of the heat exchanger to create as much surface area as possible for heat transfer without unnecessarily impeding airflow. TCT Magazine reports that the intricate structure separates the very hot air from a liquid hydrogen-cooled area, enabling an extremely compact heat exchanger.
The manufacturers explicitly emphasize that this is a concept component that will be shown at Formnext 2025 in Frankfurt at the Farsoon booth to demonstrate the feasibility of such structures at this scale. Specific values for mass, heat flow, pressure drops, or operating conditions have not yet been published in the public statements.
Analysis & Context
From LEAP 71's perspective, the precooler is primarily a showcase for Computational Engineering: the company describes Noyron as a model that independently generates a manufacturable geometry from physical rules, manufacturing constraints, and test data, without anyone classically modeling the component in CAD. In an accompanying article, VoxelMatters highlights that the same software family has already generated complex rocket engine components and that LEAP 71 sees itself more as a software and model provider than a conventional engine manufacturer.
Farsoon uses the project to demonstrate that large-format metal LPBF systems can now manufacture components over a meter tall with very complex internal channels in one piece, something that conventional manufacturing could only achieve with many individual parts and joints. Fewer welded seams and seals mean fewer potential weak points – an important factor in hypersonic applications where thermal stresses and vibrations are extreme.
In a broader context, the precooler builds on a long line of development: reaction-cooled and precooling engines like the SABRE concept were also intended to bring a spaceplane to orbit in a single launch, but relied on very delicate, difficult-to-manufacture heat exchanger structures. While Reaction Engines was able to demonstrate on the ground that their precooler lab samples could rapidly cool air streams at Mach 5 temperatures, they did not bring a flight-ready system into operation despite years of development. This shows how challenging the implementation is.
For media and trade show appearances, the project is ideal: the spectacular geometry provides strong visuals, and the combination of AI, 3D printing, and space travel touches upon several future-oriented topics that specialized portals report on extensively. At the same time, there is a serious technical agenda behind it: very compact, lightweight heat exchangers are considered a central prerequisite in studies to make hypersonic engines efficient, reusable, and economical.
Quelle: YouTube
The clip from Reaction Engines clearly shows the role of a precooler in an air-breathing rocket engine and the significant thermal loads that such systems must handle.
Quelle: cnc-mundinger.de
A 3D-printed rocket engine with complex cooling channels – an example of the precision required for hypersonic precoolers.
Facts & Open Questions
It is confirmed that LEAP 71 and Farsoon have developed a 1.5-meter-tall hypersonic precooler as a concept and manufactured it on a large-format metal LPBF system of type FS811M-U-8, with the geometry generated by Noyron. Several independent specialized media outlets confirm the size, manufacturing process, and the role of AI.
It is also well-documented that hypersonic precoolers are a crucial component for combined cycle engines to utilize air as an oxidizer up to the Mach 5+ range without the system failing thermally. Reaction Engines demonstrated in ground tests that their precooler cools highly overheated air in fractions of a second, supporting the fundamental feasibility of such concepts.
It remains unclear how the new component from LEAP 71 and Farsoon performs specifically, as no publicly available data on mass flows, temperature differentials, pressure loss, mass, or lifespan has been released so far. It is also unclear whether experiments with realistic hot gas flows or cryogenic cooling have already been conducted, or if it is primarily a manufacturing demonstration at this point.
It would be misleading to consider the concept component as an immediately deployable solution for reusable spaceplanes. Research into materials, thermal shock, oxidation behavior, and manufacturability under production conditions shows that hypersonic systems, even with optimized heat exchangers, still face numerous technical hurdles. The history of SABRE and similar projects clearly illustrates the significant gap between successful ground tests and reliable, economical flight operations.
Impact & Conclusion
For you as a developer or technically interested person, this project shows how dramatically the design process is shifting. Instead of designing geometries feature by feature in CAD, knowledge is increasingly modeled as code, with the form being a consequence of these models. If you want to work in comparable fields in the future, it is worth looking into topics such as multiphysics simulation, generative design, software engineering for technical systems, and the limits of additive manufacturing.
For additive manufacturing, the precooler is a visible example that large, functionally integrated metal components can be manufactured in one piece – with fine channels, large surface areas, and structural stability at the same time. This can also influence other industries: from energy technology and chemical plants to compact heat exchangers in the process industry, where similar thermal challenges arise.
To put this into your own perspective, a few simple checks can help: When a project like this is presented, it is worthwhile to read not only the press releases but also scientific review articles on hypersonic engines and compact heat exchangers to get a feel for which problems are already solved and which remain open. It is also useful to look for independent test reports and long-term studies before concluding from a technology demonstrator to a short-term practical application.
Quelle: YouTube
The video on AI-designed heat exchangers offers you additional insight into how data-driven methods can transform the design of such components and what new optimization possibilities arise from them.
Quelle: addmangroup.com
The Vision: Reusable spaceplanes that redefine the boundaries of aerospace with advanced technologies like AI-driven metal 3D printing for hypersonic precoolers.
It remains open how the new component will behave in realistic test campaigns: there is currently no published data on whether the precooler has already been operated with hot air or hot gas flows at hypersonic temperatures and what temperature and pressure levels were achieved. Similarly, information on material selection, manufacturing time, post-processing, and inspection methods, which would be important for a complete assessment of industrial usability, is missing.
Scientific literature shows that questions regarding lifespan under thermal shock, long-term behavior in oxidizing environments, and repairability of such complex 3D-printed heat exchangers still need intensive investigation. On a system level, it also needs to be clarified how such components can be integrated into a complete engine and, ultimately, into a spaceplane that meets the high demands for safety, cost, and maintainability.
The AI-designed metal component from LEAP 71 and Farsoon is a powerful symbol of how engineering work is changing: knowledge is transferred into models, and powerful 3D printing systems translate these models directly into highly complex hardware. For hypersonic and aerospace propulsion, but also for many other high-temperature applications, this could lead to the creation of heat exchangers that were previously simply not manufacturable.
At the same time, the step from an impressive concept component to a robust, certified, and economically viable system remains large – as other programs in the same field clearly show. Therefore, if you are following this topic, it is worthwhile to take both enthusiasm for new possibilities and a healthy dose of technical skepticism, and to look closely at what data is actually available and where many question marks still remain.