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MDA and Burloak to Make 3D Printed Space Satellite Parts

Family-owned metal manufacturing network Samuel, Son & Co. provides industrial products and related value-added services all across North America, and one of its most important company divisions is Burloak Technologies, which was responsible for establishing the first full advanced manufacturing and production additive manufacturing center in Canada back in 2014. This Canadian 3D printing leader was founded in Ontario in 2005, and offers design and engineering services for a variety of technologies, including additive manufacturing, high precision CNC machining, materials development, metrology, and post-processing, to companies in multiple sectors, including automotive, industrial, aerospace, and space. To that end, it recently announced a five year agreement with Canadian technology firm MDA, which provides innovative solutions to government and commercial space and defense markets.

These two companies are partnering up to 3D print components and parts for applications in satellite antennae that will be sent to outer space.

“Over the last two years we have worked closely with MDA’s Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue business to apply and evolve additive manufacturing to their product offerings. This collaboration has allowed us to optimize antenna designs in terms of size, mass and performance to create a new set of possibilities for the industry,” Colin Osborne, Samuel’s President and Chief Executive Officer, said in a press release.

Spacecraft Interface Bracket for an antenna

This collaboration seems to be a continuation of an existing partnership between the two companies. In the summer of 2019, the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) awarded Burloak and MDA a two-year project under its Space Technology Development Program (STDP) for the purposes of using 3D printing to develop RF satellite communication sub-systems. As part of that project, Burloak, which is a member of GE Additive’s Manufacturing Partner Network, scaled up AM application to create more complex sub-system components, using flight-certified material processes for titanium and aluminum.

MDA, a Maxar company founded back in 1969, is well-known for its abilities in a wide array of applications, including communication satellite payloads, defense and maritime systems, geospatial imagery products and analytics, radar satellites and ground systems, space robotics and sensors, surveillance and intelligence systems, and antennas and subsystems. The last of these capabilities will obviously serve MDA well in its latest venture.

As of now, the two companies have successfully completed multiple combined efforts which have resulted in 3D printed parts being more readily accepted for use in the unforgiving conditions of outer space.

“With challenging technological needs, it’s important that we find the right partner to help us fully leverage the potential of additive manufacturing for space applications,” Mike Greenley, Chief Executive Officer of MDA, said. “We’re confident Burloak Technologies is the ideal supplier to continue supporting our efforts. This collaboration is a perfect example of partnerships that MDA develops under its LaunchPad program.”

(Image courtesy of MDA)

As part of this new agreement, MDA and Burloak will continue working together in order to improve upon the manufacturability and design of multiple antenna technologies through the use of additive manufacturing. We’ve seen that using 3D printing to fabricate components for satellite, and other types, of antenna can reduce the cost and mass of the parts, which is critically important for space communication applications. As a whole, the technology is transforming how we build complex space systems.

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Joyson Safety 3D Prints Functional Airbag Housing Using Windform

Joyson Safety Systems, a leading provider of mobility safety components, systems and technology, recently developed its first functional 3D printed prototype of a Driver Air Bag (DAB) housing, using selective laser sintering (SLS) and Windform composite material from CRP Technology.

Image courtesy CRP Technology

Joyson Safety Systems already has a history of pioneering innovation in mobility safety solutions, such as airbags, seatbelts, safety electronics and more, for automotive and non-automotive markets. Worth noting is the fact that it was the first manufacturer to supply leading OEMs in North America and Europe with steering wheels with Hands on Detection (HOD) for autonomous driving. In this instance, the company’s Core Innovations team looked to quickly develop prototypes for its airbag housing and turned to additive manufacturing to explore new processes and materials.

Image courtesy CRP Technology

Traditionally, the airbag housing is produced using injection molding made up of a material that is polyamide with 40% glass fiber reinforcement, PA6-GF40. The DAB system, which needs to deploy in just 30-50 milliseconds to prevent injury to the driver, consists of the inflator, airbag cushion, cover and housing attached to the steering wheel. The performance of this system is essential, as a critical safety component of the vehicle that needs to have enough strength, impact resistance, and stability under heat and other diverse environmental conditions. Samer Ziadeh and Daniel Alt from the Core Innovations team explain the requirements for the DAB,

“It is to withstand a high amount of dynamic loads in addition to holding the inflator and the airbag cushion fixed in location during and after the deployment of the airbag system. This load is developed due to the pressure required to inflate the airbag, as a result the large stresses will directly be applied on the airbag system and more particularly on the DAB housing. The test procedures are normally conducted within a various range of temperatures between -35°C and 85°C.”

Image courtesy CRP Technology

In looking for the right material for the DAB, the team found CRP Technology’s patented Windform range of high performance SLS materials more than suitable for their requirements:

“…after running some market analysis in order to find out the most suitable material and process that could deliver the required performance, we came across the Windform TOP-LINE family of composite material and, specifically, the Windform SP. Windform SP brought our attention to the fact that it’s a material produced from polyamide PA grades, reinforced with Carbon fiber or fiber-glass, as a powder form material, and it has almost the required and even better performance for our application.”

Windform has emerged as a high performing SLS material which has been applied in sectors such as motorsports, as with Mercedes AMG Petronas, automotive, and aerospace, as with NASA. Windform materials not only meet the stringent requirements for use in aerospace or motorsports, but can also be CNC machined or post-processed with tooling equipment. CRP has become a leader in high-performance AM materials for SLS with Windform, applying its expertise in a range of proven applications from medical to UAVs, satellites to electric motorbikes.

Image courtesy CRP Technology

This application is a first for Joyson Safety Systems in producing, in a short period, a functional prototype of a DAB housing using SLS with composite materials.

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Made In Space Acquired by New Space Company Redwire

In an era of endless mega-mergers and acquisitions, perhaps nearly every startup’s dream is to one day become big enough to be bought out. That dream has now been fulfilled by Made In Space (MIS), the company to first install a 3D printer in the International Space Station (ISS). MIS has announced that it was purchased by a firm called Redwire.

Made In Space’s Additive Manufacturing Facility, the first commercial 3D printer in space. Image courtesy of Made In Space.

MIS is already well-known in the additive sector for its work in 3D printing in space. In addition to the aforementioned ISS machine, the company subsequently sent up the first commercial system in space. This allowed customers to print objects on the ISS. Other projects explored by MIS include the Archinaut, a system meant for the additive construction of large-scale objects, such as satellites, in space, as well as in-space fiber optics pulling, material recycling, and metal 3D printing.

While, in many cases, corporate buyouts are performed by much more established businesses to grow their portfolios, MIS has announced that it was purchased by Redwire, a seemingly unknown new space company. Part of the reason for Redwire’s lack of name recognition is the fact that it was only formed in June 2020, the result of strategy by private equity firm AE Industrial Partners. AEI acquired two other space firms, Adcole Space and Deep Space Systems (DSS), earlier in 2020 to form Redwire. The company’s goal is to be a leader in “mission critical space solutions and high reliability components for the next generation space economy.”

In the new space industry, there is plenty of opportunity to take advantage of media and investment hype due to the fact that much of the sectors goals are on a very protracted timeline. Mining on earth has already proven to be ripe for fraud, as discovery and extracting valuable metals can take years to achieve and may never be realized, allowing the purported mining operations to cover up financial malfeasance. Mining asteroids in space is that much more abstract.

For this reason, it would pay to be skeptical of nearly any new space company. However, whereas Redwire may have come out of the blue, AEI and the companies purchased have much more established histories. AEI was founded in 1998 to expand middle market aerospace companies using its team of over 30 investment staff and resulting in the closure of 46 acquisitions.

The team is made up of numerous aerospace veterans, with Managing Partner David Rowe having served at GE Aerospace and GE Capital before becoming executive vice president at Gulfstream Financial Services Corp. and then building AEI. Other members worked at such companies as UBS, Boeing, GE and Hawker Beechcraft, with some serving as U.S. federal officials, including former acting Department of Homeland Security secretary Kevin McAleenan.

Commercial Lunar Payload Services Small Lunar Lander from Deep Space Systems. Image courtesy of Deep Space Systems.

Both DSS and Adcole Space are fixtures in the space industry, with DSS involved in the development and management of space systems, including parts and spacecraft. Since its founding in 2001, DSS has created complete spacecraft, data recovery systems, fully qualified payloads and has been involved in projects related to the Space Shuttle, ISS, Orion, Dream Chaser and more. Adcole Space was founded in 1957, when it began working on satellite technology that has since been used in hundreds of low-earth orbit, geosynchronous and interplanetary spacecraft, including missions to Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn and Pluto.

The purchase of MIS is meant to expand Redwire’s portfolio from space sensors and payloads, flight hardware and space craft to include MIS’s in-space manufacturing technology.

Of the acquisition, Redwire CEO Peter Cannito said, “To truly realize the full potential for space exploration, innovation must change the economics. Made In Space has been driving these innovations and is now positioned to revolutionize the industry.”

Cannito, it is worth noting, worked as an operating partner at AEI after serving as CEO of Polaris Alpha, a developer of technology for the Department of Defense and the intelligence community.

In other words, while Redwire may be new as a business entity, its team is not, and MIS is joining what may be an altogether formidable group of space experts. It will be taking along with it its sister company, Made In Space Europe, which develops space-capable robotic systems. In addition to its headquarters in Jacksonville, Florida, MIS has offices in California, Alabama and Ohio. Andrew Rush, president and chief executive officer of MIS, said that the purchase by Redwire would allow the company to grow and advance its technology.

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Mining Space Debris as a Resource for 3D Printing Material

Authors Maria Lucas-Rhimbassen, Cristiana Santos, George Antony Long, and Lucien Rapp delve into some heavy matter in the recently published ‘Conceptual model for a profitable return on investment from space debris as abiotic space resource.’ While the topic is an interesting one simply because most of us don’t spend much time worrying about space trash, it is also critical to consider as debris poses hazards on many levels. Even better, the researchers hope to find a way to harness such debris, recycle it, and even convert it into fuel or metal.

Viewing outer space as a ‘collective natural resource,’ the researchers discuss better ways to clear Earth orbits of hazards and turn them into a win all around. So far this has not been the main concern, and the researchers point out ‘a noticeable absence of meaningful action among space actors to actively engage in orbital debris removal.’ Citing cost as the probable reason for lack of action—or incentive—the authors realized the need for an inspiring model that could not only be helpful but commercially profitable.

(Image: NASA)

Metal and scrap are always a commodity, but the question is how to harness such profitability in space—without making it a financial liability. In exploring this ‘economic opportunity,’ the research team states that the technology is there to recycle metal into fuel rods—or even better, for 3D printing material. Decommissioned satellites are a good example of a fuel source too, with the promise of acting as an on-orbit service (OOS) station—not unlike a gas station or repair shop even.

“Such a transition presents an efficient orbital debris mitigation process as it allows for recycling of a satellite rather than burial in a graveyard orbit. It is our opinion that the commercial viability of on-orbit platforms recycling satellites into a fuel source will depend on standardization mechanism e.g. ‘hooking’ which will allow for ‘hooking’ and retrieving aged satellites,” state the researchers.

There are some legal issues surrounding the activity of debris removal in space—and then moving beyond that to recycle it and 3D print or turn it into another productive form:

“Policy and legal limitations include, but are not limited to, the fact that space debris, regardless of their partial or total dysfunctionality, are under the jurisdiction and control of the State having registered it (registry or mon commonly referred to as the launching State [4]). Registry State jurisdiction and control can only be transferred to another State, not to a private entity,” state the researchers.

“This circumstance bars the rush to space debris and lessens the expectations of economic incentives in that respect,” state the researchers, preparing to offer a model that will cover legal, policy, and economic needs—as well as inviting prospective insurers. Along with that is the continued debate within the ‘space community’ regarding rights over resources in space and how and whether they should be used at all.

There is also the matter of the Commercial Space Act, passed in 2015, which states that US citizens should be able to extract space resources—defined as ‘abiotic resources in situ in outer space.’ This is a broad definition, really only excluding natural resources. As the research study makes clear though, while there are opportunities to be had in salvaging debris from outer space, there are also numerous obstacles to clear too—making it even easier to understand why this is a relatively untouched but possible industry for the future.

“Our rationale is to upgrade, from a top-down approach, the on-orbit property and liability insurance regime, respectively from optional to compulsory, and from fault-based to absolute, getting thus rid of the difficult burden of proving fault in orbit. Creating an incentive to help mitigating the proliferation of space debris, providing for cleaner orbits and facilitate recycling are all the more important by means on insurance, as most insurers are reluctant to provide on-orbit third party liability insurance coverage for space debris per se, as they present an increased risk on the long term,” conclude the researchers.

“Our conception of space debris as space resources aligns with the dedicated purpose of ISRU: ‘Harnessing and utilizing space resources to create products and services which enable and significantly reduce the mass, cost, and risk of near-term and long-term space exploration.’”

International Space Station (Photo: NASA)

3D printing for space, in space, and at the International Space Station is an ongoing—and fascinating—topic. Find out more about uses for space debris and 3D printing here. What do you think of this news? Let us know your thoughts! Join the discussion of this and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com.

[Source / Images: ‘Conceptual model for a profitable return on investment from space debris as abiotic space resource’]

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Project Imperial Consortium to Create Large Scale 3D Printer for Zero Gravity

Under contract with the European Space Agency, Athlone Institute of Technology will be creating a new, large-scale 3D printer capable of fabricating parts in a zero-gravity atmosphere. The innovative hardware will be used at the International Space Station (ISS) in connection with a European consortium to be known as ‘Project Imperial’ that includes Sonaca Group, BEEVERYCREATIVE, and OHB.

Experts in 3D printing, materials, and associated processes will be leading the consortium:

Sean Lyons, Dean of Faculty of Engineering and Informatics
Declan Devine, Director of the Materials Research Institute
Dr Ian Major, Principal Investigator at the Materials Research Institute

The team of researchers involved with the consortium are tasked with the creation of a high-performance 3D printer (made of high strength, functional thermoplastics) which will then be tasked with making complex geometries even larger than its own frame.

“Traditionally, 3D printers are based around simple materials and applications. They might look the part but they’re not hard or strong enough to be fully functional. Using cutting-edge material science, we’re going to design components that can be modified or configured for printing in zero gravity conditions on board the International Space Station,” explained Dr. Sean Lyons.

“There are several applications for this technology, imagine a door handle breaks on the ISS, it’s not feasible to send a payload from France all the way to the International Space Station with a spare handle. Through Project Imperial, the astronauts on board the ISS will be able to print parts as and when they are required. They’ll also be able to print bespoke parts: say if an astronaut broke their arm and needed a cast plaster, they’ll have the capability to print it in space themselves in-situ.”

3D printing is still a mind blowing, exciting process—often even for the most experienced innovators. And although adding ‘in space’ to the equation takes us to another technological level, it is one that is becoming surprisingly commonplace too due to the benefits in self-sustainability while at a remote location, portability in hardware, software, and materials, and the opportunity to create parts on demand. Other 3D printers and bioprinters have come before the Project Imperial Concept, from companies like Tethers and Made in Space, but it sounds as if this consortium plans to make 3D printing in space a priority, and especially as the experts involved use an uplink connection to the ISS to understand operating constraints better.

“It’s not as simple as if the project was terrestrially-based. We obviously can’t go up to discuss our designs with the astronauts or train them how to use this technology in person,” said Dr. Lyons. “We’ll also have to ensure that the panels are multilingual because you have quite a diverse group on board the ISS.”

“We’re delighted to be collaborating on such seminal research with the European Space Agency and our European partners Sonaca Group, BEEVERYCREATIVE and OHB. It’s an amazing opportunity to demonstrate exactly what we’re capable of and the breadth of skills and expertise on offer at our award-winning institute,” concluded Dr. Lyons.

The team at AIT will also be examining how 3D printing in zero gravity is beneficial; for instance, scaffolds for bioprinting could be fabricated in space and then brought back to Earth for use in surgical procedures on humans. Currently, the researchers suspect that such cell scaffolds would offer better performance medically if they were not made within ‘gravity constraints’ found on Earth.

Project Imperial is scheduled to operate for two years, with ‘payload deployment’ projected for 2021. The consortium expects that new technology produced via this space program will serve as an example of how 3D printing in space creates potential for extra-terrestrial manufacturing, along with new ways to maintain parts and habitats.

High-tech advancements continue to make space travel possible, along with continued activities for astronauts away from terra firma for extended periods of time at the International Space Station (ISS). Over the past few years, we have learned what it will take to colonize both the moon and Mars, along with catching up on the latest 3D printed tools astronauts have been fabricating, or cosmonauts bioprinting.

What do you think of this news? Let us know your thoughts! Join the discussion of this and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com.

[Source / Image: Irish Tech News]