additive manufacturing
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.
3D printing saving satellite builders time and money
Satellite manufacturers are turning increasingly to additive manufacturing to reduce the cost and time required to design and build spacecraft.
NASA, Made in Space think big with Archinaut, a robotic 3D printing demo bound for ISS
Within five years, companies could begin in-orbit manufacturing and assembly of communications satellite reflectors or other large structures, according to Made in Space, the Silicon Valley startup that sent the first 3D printer to the International Space Station in 2014.
Lockheed Leaning on 3-D Printing To Bring Tank Work In-house
Lockheed Martin Space Systems could eventually replace satellite propellant tanks now built by longtime partner Orbital ATK with 3-D-printed tanks Lockheed would build in-house.
3-D Printer on Space Station Makes Its First Part
The international space station’s 3-D printer has produced its first part, ushering in what proponents hope will be a new age of off-Earth manufacturing.
