Boeing: 3D printing broadband global satellite communication system WGS-11+, the delivery time is shortened to 5 years!

On March 1, 2022, The Boeing Company (BA) announced that it will use 3D technology to build a new generation of broadband Global SATCOM System (WGS), shortening the product delivery cycle.
Boeing is building the U.S. Air Force’s next-generation WGS-11+, a system with greater mission support and jamming immunity than previous systems.by putting3D printingIntroducing production work on communications satellites, Boeing expects to be able to drastically shorten equipment lead times, from as long as 10 years to five years.

3D printingFlyable Parts

As a multinational manufacturer, Boeing needs to build and maintain planes across a vast product portfolio, so it doesn’t need to constantly look for more efficient ways to do that.existaviationaerospaceOne of the difficulties with the use of 3D printing in the field is the need to enable manufactured parts to pass high levels of regulation such as performance testing, which Boeing has overcome by working with industry partners.

Improve U.S. Defense Coordination Capabilities

Boeing has successfully made some progress in the development of the 702X satellite and wants to take these advantages to the next level. Built around the same phased array technology, WGS-11+ will be able to generate hundreds of electronically steered beams simultaneously, giving users more than twice the mission capacity of existing WGS satellites. What’s more, like the 720X, each individual beam can be tuned for specific operations, increasing task-solving flexibility and responsiveness. The WGS-11+ can also use dual polarization to reduce the beamwidth to prevent interference.
In pursuit of its goal of improving the satellite, Boeing met with the U.S. Space Force late last year after they passed a key design review before entering production. Boeing is committed to using advanced manufacturing methods, such as 3D printing, in the construction of the system, which can significantly reduce costs, shorten lead times and improve system performance.

Troy Dawson, vice president of Boeing’s satellite division, said: “We are printing more than a thousand parts for the WGS-11+, which can be customized in a way that enhances the system’s performance without requiring extensive integration time or custom tooling, and we understand the impact of speed on the mission. The importance of applying 3D printing can increase the speed of problem solving.”

Boeing is not the only company to pass3D printing technologyAerospace manufacturers that shorten satellite lead times and improve final performance. In early 2021,
Airbus
It has revealed that it has managed to integrate more than 500 radio frequency components into Eutelsat’s Hotbird satellite, such as switch assembly networks and multi-waveguide blocks to improve broadcast capabilities.
Fleet Space also unveiled plans to launch a fully 3D-printed “Alpha” satellite in 2022. Built primarily through advanced beamforming technology, the system functions through an additively manufactured metal antenna array with digital signal processing capabilities designed to connect more users.

(responsible editor: admin)