Taihan Aerospace, a Chinese startup founded in March 2021, has developed the S480 metal 3D printer specifically for the production of liquid-propellant rocket components. The company is establishing a manufacturing facility in Xi'an for machine production and a separate rocket assembly line in Shanghai, aiming to produce over 90 percent of its rocket parts in-house using additive manufacturing. The S480 system is designed to support the rapid iteration of the Xiao Yi liquid rocket engine, which utilizes liquid oxygen and kerosene, with a stated manufacturing cycle of 30 days per engine. Taihan is also developing the W450 printer for larger rocket airframe structures, targeting a three-month production timeline for a complete rocket body.

This vertical integration strategy mirrors the operational models of companies like Relativity Space and SpaceX, which utilize proprietary additive manufacturing to reduce reliance on traditional supply chains and minimize lead times for complex geometries. By focusing on in-house hardware development, Taihan attempts to lower rocket procurement costs to approximately one-fifth of current industry averages. The company faces significant technical hurdles in scaling LPBF or similar metal powder bed fusion processes to meet the structural integrity and certification requirements for orbital launch vehicles. While the move toward proprietary hardware allows for process optimization, it requires substantial capital expenditure, with the company projecting a 600 million RMB investment requirement to achieve orbital flight by 2024.

Taihan must now prove the repeatability and mechanical properties of its printed components under the extreme thermal and pressure loads of flight conditions. The transition from laboratory-scale testing to consistent, flight-ready hardware production remains the primary barrier to entry for new space launch providers. Potential customers and investors should focus on the company's ability to pass static fire tests and validate the performance of its 3D-printed pre-combustion chambers and airframe segments in real-world environments.