China3D printingNet, December 8th, the use of additive manufacturing (AM) technology to manufacture turbine parts can help speed up product development and create very complex and complex part geometries without any tools. For several years, aerospace companies have been integrating additive manufacturing into their production strategies. They rely on metal additive manufacturing to increase cost-effectiveness and ease of manufacturing. Redwire, a new company engaged in mission-critical space solutions, has further increased the pace of turbine parts development, announcing that it has manufactured a one-piece ceramic turbine blisk in space for the first time.
Using the first orbital stereolithography (SLA) printer, this bladed turbine disk was successfully created: the ceramic manufacturing module (CMM), which was developed by Redwire’s subsidiary Made In Space. On October 2, 2020, after Northrop Grumman’s 14th Commercial Replenishment Mission (NG-14) was launched, only two months later, this commercially developed space manufacturing plant successfully used SLA technology The integrated ceramic turbine impeller and a series of material test samples have been completely independently operated with Ceramic Front Resin, which is very suitable for determining the performance of ceramics.
Ceramic Manufacturing Module (CMM) in space manufacturing.Image courtesy of “Made in Space”
According to Redwire, the successful manufacture of these test samples in space is an important milestone, proving the potential of CMM to produce ceramic parts that exceed the quality of turbine components made on Earth.After the company completed the 21st Commercial Replenishment Service (CRS-21) mission to the International Space Station (ISS), the ceramic samples and test samples were stored and returned to SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft for analysis. The expected return date to Earth is 2021. Month 5
Tom Campbell, President of Space Manufacturing, said: “This is an exciting milestone in space manufacturing and marks a potential new market that stimulates commercial activities in low Earth orbit. Based on our expertise in space manufacturing. With expertise and our partnership with NASA, Redwire is developing advanced manufacturing processes to generate sustainable demand from the ground market and create the ability for humans to live and work in space sustainably.”
The ceramic facility developed in cooperation with the ISS Research Integration Office of the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston is one of three ISS test payloads developed through this partnership to stimulate and expand the demand for ISS Realize the commercial function of low earth orbit (LEO) by producing high-value products for the ground. “Space Manufacturing” first demonstrated the SLA printing technology found in CMM through a series of test flights funded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) “Flight Opportunity” program in 2016.
Ceramic manufacturing module team.Image courtesy of “Made in Space”
For high-performance applications such as turbines, nuclear power plants, or internal combustion engines, even small strength improvements can produce long life spans of decades. According to experts, the design of lightweight aviation components and systems is an effective way to reduce energy consumption and improve performance. In fact, the use of additive manufacturing technologies that can produce composite materials or multi-material components can achieve weight reduction, because functions that are formally related to one main function can be designed to achieve multiple functions.
But Redwire is not only using the technology of additive manufacturing of complex parts, but also moving it 400 kilometers away from the earth to LEO to prove that ceramic manufacturing under microgravity can make heat-resistant, enhanced ceramic parts with better performance, including more High strength and lower strength. Residual Stress.
NASA’s flight engineer Kate Rubins (Kate Rubins) has installed the ceramic manufacturing module and is preparing to operate on the International Space Station (ISS) on October 28, 2020.Image courtesy of NASA/Redwire
Redwire’s Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and co-founder of the “Space Manufacturing” company, Michael Snyder, described the successful on-orbit operation of ceramic manufacturing modules as an important step in the comprehensive manufacturing of material products that can improve the industrial machinery used on earth. The expert who has also been the chief engineer of “space manufacturing” for 10 years went on to explain that the space manufacturing capabilities demonstrated by the coordinate measuring machine have the potential to stimulate the demand for LEO in the ground market, which will become the main driving force for the industrialization of space.
China3D printingNet Comments: The last successful CMM mission was based on Redwire’s flying tradition, and there were four other additive manufacturing facilities developed by the Made in Space team, which have successfully flown and operated on the space station. In 2014, this Silicon Valley startup became the first company to perform in zero gravity3D printingThe object company, a few months later, it launched two sets to ISS3D printingMachine, one of which can be used for commercial purposes Additive Manufacturing Facility (AMF). The second is the MIS Fiber miniature optical fiber tractor used to produce optical fibers, and the plastic recycling machine used to process waste plastics into AMF raw filaments. CMM plans to build five. Soon, Made In Space’s spacecraft assembly technology for repairing existing satellites in orbit is expected to be launched in 2022. With Archinaut, both Redwire and NASA hope to have a complete game changer with future capabilities that can accelerate the space economy.
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