additive manufacturing
Nikon snaps up Boeing-backed supplier of 3D-printed satellite parts
Japanese camera maker Nikon has acquired a controlling stake in U.S. startup Morf3D, an aerospace supplier that has produced 3D-printed hardware for Boeing satellites and helicopters.
Orbex commissions 3D printer capable of producing 35+ rocket engines a year
On the heels of raising $24 million in December, Orbex announced Feb. 24 that it has commissioned AMCM to build a large-volume 3D printer for manufacturing its rocket engines.
Swissto12 and Thales Alenia Space turn to 3D printing for communications satellite parts
SWISSto12 is working with Thales Alenia Space to expand the use of additively manufactured parts for geostationary communications satellites.
Made In Space highlights defense applications for manufacturing and robotic assembly technology
Made In Space is underscoring national security applications for its in-space robotic assembly and additive manufacturing technologies at the annual Small Satellite Conference.
Made In Space to launch commercial recycler to space station
Made In Space announced plans Oct. 21 to send a plastic recycling facility to the International Space Station on a Northrop Grumman commercial cargo resupply flight scheduled for early November.
NASA Administrator and Made In Space CEO share vision for on-orbit manufacturing, assembly
For nine years, Made In Space executives and engineers have shared their vision for a future when satellites, solar arrays and large antennas are manufactured in orbit. During an Aug. 26 tour, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine clearly endorsed that vision.
NASA awards $73.7 million to Made In Space for orbital demonstration
NASA awarded a $73.7 million contract to Made In Space to additively manufacture beams on the Archinaut One satellite scheduled to launch in 2022.
Sandvik looks to industry to identify space applications for diamond composite
The Swedish engineering firm Sandvik is looking for space applications for the 3D-printed diamond composite it unveiled at a recent additive manufacturing conference.
Made In Space unveils small satellite interferometry tool
Made In Space proposes equipping small satellites with technology to manufacture in orbit a 20-meter optical boom interferometer with a modular internal optics bench the firm developed with Lowell Observatory.
Additive machines prompt companies to throw out the rule books
Space system engineers, who once saw additive manufacturing as a way to trim the size and weight of conventional components, are beginning to see its true potential.
SSL additively expands additive manufacturing from brackets to antenna towers
With four more of its satellites launched between July 22 and Sept. 25, Space Systems Loral now has more than 1,000 additively manufactured parts in orbit on 15 spacecraft.
Lockheed Martin extends additive manufacturing to key spacecraft components
Lockheed Martin’s Additive Design and Manufacturing Center in Sunnyvale, California, where the company produces military, commercial and civil space technology, attained a comprehensive safety certification.
Relativity reaches deal to use Stennis test stand
Relativity, the startup company developing small launch vehicles using additive manufacturing technologies, announced March 21 an agreement with NASA’s Stennis Space Center to take over one of its test stands.
Tethers Unlimited expands to fulfill additive manufacturing orders
Tethers Unlimited, one of three companies NASA selected Dec. 7 to build a prototype space-based 3-D printer called FabLab has grown dramatically in recent years due to interest among government and commercial customers in this type of work.
Relativity Space aims to 3D print entire launch vehicles
Relativity Space, a startup based in Los Angeles that only recently emerged from stealth mode, plans to use 3D printing to produce entire launch vehicles, an approach it claims can be more cost effective than traditional manufacturing techniques.
European satellite builders turn to Poly-Shape for metal 3D-printed parts
The aerospace industry’s view of additive manufacturing has changed dramatically since Stephane Abed founded Poly-Shape in 2007.
ESA’s tentative embrace of 3D-printed spacecraft parts
While additive manufacturing is changing the way spacecraft are built, more innovation will come from combining advanced manufacturing tools with new materials and design strategies.
Complex designs can slash the weight of spacecraft parts, but may carry hidden costs
By combining additive manufacturing with advanced processing power, companies now can print the optimal design for many spacecraft parts. However, more complex designs may carry hidden costs.
FAA prepares guidance for wave of 3D-printed aerospace parts
“Three to four years ago, none of my peers believed we would see additive manufacturing of safety-critical parts,” the FAA’s chief scientific and technical adviser for fatigue and damage tolerance said Oct. 19 at the Additive Aerospace conference in Los Angeles.
Lockheed, Aerojet bet on 3-D printing for manufacturing
Lockheed says the technology has cut down on production time by two-thirds, while Aerojet is already testing a 3-D printed thrust chamber.
