Aerospace manufacturer空中客车has 3D printed a total of 500 components forEutelsat的Eurostar Neo series of relay satellites.
By additive manufacturing the radio frequency (RF) parts, including multi-waveguide blocks and switch assembly networks, Airbus was able to reduce the lead time and costs of their assembly. Once fitted to Eutelsat’s Hotbird 13F and 13G satellites, the parts will effectively reinforce the firm’s broadcasting services in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa.
“This is recognised as the first large-scale deployment of RF products using the ALM (Additive Layer Manufacturing) process,” said Gareth Penlington, Hotbird Payload Manager at Airbus. “It puts us in an industry-leading position for the technology’s application in producing radio frequency components.”
空中客车’ additive aerospace prowess
For over five years now, Airbus has utilized 3D printing to design and manufacture both prototype and end-use parts, deploying them within different areas of its business. For instance, the company has consistently used the technology to boost its core aviation division,3D printing A350 componentsas well asimproving its aircraft maintenanceprogram.
为了进一步在最终使用方案中应用添加剂，空中客车公司还参与了航空研发。与软件开发人员合作Sigma Labs, the firm has validatedmetal PBF printing for serial aerospace production, while more recently, it partnered withSatairto create what it claimed to be the“first certified metal printed flying spare part.”
在其他地方，空中客车公司的目光更高，针对其技术的轨道卫星应用。通过与3D打印机制造商合作3D系统，例如，公司以前有fabricated redesigned RF filters for relay antennas, improving their surface topology, while reducing their weight and expense in the process.
3D printing Eutelsat’s Eurostar Neo
While Airbus has created parts for Eutelsat’s antennae before,3D printing elements of the firm’s 172B satelliteback in 2017, its latest project is noteworthy because it has now entered into high-volume production. As part of the program, a total of 500 waveguides and assembly networks are being fully-manufactured at Airbus’ Portsmouth base, from concept design right through to final qualification.
Once signed-off, the components will be fitted to two of Eutelsat’s ‘Hotbird’ spacecraft, and launched into Low Earth Orbit (LEO) to support the firm’s communication services. The company claims that its satellite boasts “increased efficiency and performance” compared to other platforms, and that its “payload-centric design” effectively increases mission capacity.
空中客车has already completed the first batch of 3D printed parts for the project and shipped them to its Defence and Space facility in Toulouse, France, for assembly. In Portsmouth, meanwhile, the company is still constructing the second Hotbird communications module, where it’s expected to undergo testing later this month.
Stratospheric 3D printed parts
Using 3D printing to create optimized satellite parts is becoming an increasingly common application of the technology, and several firms have done so in the last few months alone.
Solid-state metal 3D printing specialistFabrisonic已经部署了其专有的UAM技术来创建铁道部e efficient heat exchangersforNASA的喷气推进实验室(JPL). The upgraded devices are designed to better regulate the temperature of satellites operating in the cold vacuum of space.
3D printing service provider3DCeram也有帮助French Space Agency(CNES) spin-outAnywavesto produce其小卫星的陶瓷天线. 3DCeram effectively provided consultancy on the design and feasibility of the parts, while Anywaves is now considering whether to go ahead with their serial production.
Elsewhere, scientists at the斯科尔科沃科学技术学院(Skoltech) have worked with material providerRUSALtoYarilo卫星的3D打印外壳. Together, the two organizations have developed a novel aluminum, and used it to create optimized parts for weather-monitoring Cubesats.
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Featured image shows the Eutelsat Nero series satellite. Image via Airbus.
