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Incus, an Austrian engineering firm and OEM start-up, has entered into a partnership with theEuropean Space Agencyto explore how scrap metals available on the Moon’s surface could be processed for 3D printing spare parts for lunar stations.
Ceramic 3D printing specialistLithozand theOHB Systemsubsidiary of German space and technology group,OHB SE, will also participate in the 18-month project. Throughout this time, the partners will jointly develop and test Incus’ lithography-based metal manufacturing (LMM) 3D printing technology within a micro-gravity environment, and assess the feasibility of processing scrap metals available on the moon’s surface to produce high-quality end-use spare parts.
“We at Incus are excited to be a part of a project that will test the capabilities of our LMM technology for use in space,” said Dr Gerald Mitteramskogler, CEO at Incus. “Our solution could be a great fit to meet the challenging requirements of producing parts in such an environment.”
incus的LMM技术
Incus was founded in 2019 out of Lithoz’s R&D lab, and is a member of theAM Ventures portfolio, anaward-winninginvestor in 3D printing technologies.
The firm’s LMM technology is based on vat polymerization techniques like stereolithography (SLA) and digital light processing (DLP), but differs from these processes by curing materials that contain metal particles. The subsequent printed parts are then debound and sintered to create solid metal parts. Capable of working with “unweldable” metals, Incus’ technology can process materials containing metal particles as small as 20 µm.
AtFormnext 2019，该公司推出了其旗舰金属3D打印机，the Hammer Lab35，它利用LMM过程。该机器旨在满足制造业对3D打印过程的需求不断增长，能够为功能性原型和预系制造提供复杂的几何形状。
After announcing its first shipment in March 2020, Incus输入系列制作of the machine at the start of this year and is continuing to grow its customer base.
3D printing spare parts from moon scrap
在地球上，Incus的LMM工艺可产生3D打印的零件，具有“出色”的表面饰面和与金属注塑成型制造的零件相似的材料特性。现在，通过与ESA，Lithoz和OHB的最新合作伙伴关系，将在微重力环境中探索该过程的功能。
Maintaining lunar stations requires a constant supply of goods, research materials and equipment. In addition to this, spare parts are also needed in case individual components fail during missions.
在此类任务期间，需要自给自足的需求促使ESA调查和再利用来自生产废物和寿命末期的现有月球表面材料的使用和再利用。能够使用此类来源为登机和按需的月球航天器和电台制造备件可以有助于大大降低地球上的货物任务的成本和数量，同时最大程度地减少生产浪费。
ESA的材料和流程工程师Martina Meisnar博士说：“欧洲航天局正在调查欧洲航天局正在调查的一个非常有趣的话题。“目的是将这些制造概念改进地球上的演示，并最终用于实施太空。”
incus的LMM技术was chosen for the project due to its ability to produce spare parts from recycled metal waste. The partners hope this capability could potentially enable the utilization of recycled powders from scrap metals that are available on the moon.
除此之外，LMM工艺使用糊状或悬浮液作为原料，并且不依赖于高度球形气体原子粉末或支持结构的使用。取而代之的是，打印的组件是通过不需要耗时的手动返工的降码过程分开的，对操作员也是安全的。
Lithoz材料开发负责人Martin Schwentenwein博士说：“诸如Incus和Lithoz开发的技术，允许将高精度的3D打印与高性能金属和陶瓷结合使用，同时仍然保持极高的资源效率。”“尽管这些概念已在地球上成功证明，但此类项目的活动对于填补技术空白和实施在太空环境中实施增材制造至关重要。”雷电竞充值
The ultimate goal of the project is to assess how scrap metals available on the Moon’s surface could be processed via LMM to produce high-quality parts in a zero-waste process. Over the course of 18 months, the partners will explore how the constraints of a space environment, such as potential contamination of metal powder with lunar dust, could impact the printing process.
The project will also evaluate the influence of impurities on sintering and the result of the final microstructure of printed parts, in order to determine the optimal binder quantity and type for the LMM process in microgravity. Through this, the partners will seek to develop a sustainable manufacturing chain in space for spare parts production.
“通过利用现有的月球表面材料和回收月球基础废品来减少我们对地球的依赖的可能性代表了保证可持续沉降的唯一解决方案，” OHB系统的人类空间飞行系统Antonella Sgambati。
“This project and this novel LMM process will be important steps in making such a settlement a reality due to the fact that this technology could have a chance to operate successfully in space.”
3D printing with space materials
Multiple national space agencies have increased their interest in additive manufacturing in recent years as they seek to establish a permanent presence on the moon. Asa result, research efforts into how on-site materials such as regolith can be leveraged to produce lunar structures have too escalated.
例如，来自Technical University of BraunschweigandLaser Zentrum Hannoverhave explored3D打印与零重力的月球岩石as part of project MOONRISE, and Texas-based construction firmICONrecently gained aNASAcontract to develop aprototype off-world 3D printer能够从Regolith打印出空间的结构。
Elsewhere, Russian space agencyRoscosmoshas试验了3 d打印技术结构made from on-site lunar material and, most recently, a study from mission-critical space system specialist Redwire was launched to theInternational Space Station(ISS) by NASA. The study aims todetermine the feasibility of 3D printing regolithfor building lunar structures on-demand.
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Featured image shows通过LMM生产的3D打印零件。通过incus照片。
