Defense contractorLockheed Martinhas harnessedMakerbot3D打印以设计和测试AI驱动的月球漫游器的元素，可以在NASA’smission to return to the Moon.
Using MakerBot’s方法x, Lockheed Martin’sAdvanced Technology Center(ATC) has been able to expedite the R&D of both the vehicle’s systems housings and sensor mounts. 3D printed from ABS, these prototypes are built to withstand all conditions from searing desert heat to UV or moisture exposure, making them ideal tools for developing a rover capable of enduring the harsh realities of space.
“The rover we have at ATC is a testbed that we designed and developed in-house,” explains Aaron Christian, Senior Mechanical Engineer at Lockheed Martin Space. “This affordable modular testbed allows us to make quick changes using 3D printing to change the design for other applications, whether it be military, search and rescue, nuclear applications and just extreme environment autonomy needs.”
“Autonomous vehicles are an optimal way to explore the surface of the Moon, and to continue space exploration onto Mars and beyond.”
Lockheed Martin’s ATC
In keeping with its stated mission to explore “next-generation and generation-after-next” technologies, Lockheed Martin has a storied history of contracting 3D printing firms to contribute to its aerospace projects. Just last year, the firm began与相对空间合作to develop rockets capable of firing potentially-dangerous cryogenic management systems into orbit for testing purposes.
为了满足其太空软件需求，公司有合同的Sigma实验室and its PrintRite3D in-process quality assurance technology as well, but in other areas, it has also sought to develop its in-house capabilities, opening a3.5亿美元的卫星生产设施, complete with 3D printing and ‘virtual immersion environments.’
与此同时，洛克希德·马丁（Lockheed Martin）在加利福尼亚州的ATC上建立了一个相对较小的3D打印实验室，但在承包商更广泛的研发设置中的重要性不应被低估。该设施已经使用了Makerbot Tech已有五年了，其中包括使其团队在进行生产之前创建用于评估现实环境中零件的测试床的机器。
据说，通过在内部制造这些模型，该公司能够比外包时更快，便宜地迭代其设计，同时使其能够更好地满足客户的需求。
ATC实验室经理Alyssa Ruiz说：“在现场使用3D打印机有很大的好处雷电竞app下载。”“没有它们，我们将不得不发送零件进行加工，这可以延长交货时间并增加成本。我们实验雷电竞app下载室的3D打印机有助于制作原型的效率，将零件淘汰，并确保我们可以满足时间表和预算。”
Adopting the METHOD X
Having recently adopted the METHOD X, the ATC’s engineers have now begun using its nylon carbon fiber and ABS-printing capabilities to produce parts for a rover it’s developing alongsideGeneral Motors。作为NASA的Artemis Mission的一部分，该农用车将是完全自主的，使其能够探索更大的月球表面，并进行更雄心勃勃的科学研究。
为了确保其原型漫游者足够强大，可以单独生存这样的冗长任务，因此，ATC团队已经开始使用3D打印模型并将其暴露于月球条件。当与StratasysSR-30 soluble supports, these ABS parts are said to feature a sufficiently smooth surface finish, with ideal properties for the task.
工程师能够优化和迭代的一个组件是漫游动物的雷达检测系统的安装座，这对于导航至关重要。通过Makerbot原型制作，该团队现在设法提出了一个模块化解决方案，该解决方案可以配备不同的相机，天线或测距仪附件，并具有集成的频道以防止过热。
The lunar vehicle’s embedded electronics housing has also been steadily developed using 3D printing, to a point that it’s now able to protect its delicate internals from drops or falls. As a result, even though the team say that the rover remains at an “early stage of development,” they believe the technology behind its R&D could help reduce costs and open design possibilities, in further space manufacturing applications.
“It [3D printing] reduces the amount of fasteners needed and part count, which is a huge cost saving,” adds Christian. “This also opens up future in-situ assembly in space. You have designed, printed, and tested the part on Earth. Now you know that, in future, you can 3D print that same part in space, because you have shown that the material and part works there.”
A ‘performance-grade’ machine?
该方法旨在填补台式机和工业系统之间市场的空白，越来越多地证明能够为密集的最终用途应用产生零件。去年1月，产品工程公司CALLUM发现它能够将机器部署到3D打印原型，工具和零件的低量限量版阿斯顿·马丁。
Similarly, motorsport engineering firm前瞻性used the METHOD X to produce超过30个汽车零件for its Bahrain Raid Xtreme team’s Hunter T1 vehicle, at the 2021 edition of the Dakar Rally. Due to the pandemic, the team were forced to streamline the development of the T1, but they are said to have found adopting 3D printing to be ideal for both rapidly prototyping parts and conducting maintenance.
Elsewhere, propulsion system specialistTriton Space Technologieshas also utilized the METHOD X for space-testing purposes, by 3D printing afunctional valve prototypefor a Moon-bound client last year. In doing so, the firm was able to reduce its lead time from days down to a matter of hours, while more flexibly controlling its production process.
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特色图片显示了洛克希德·马丁（Lockheed Martin）的AI驱动的月球漫游器的渲染。通过Makerbot图像。
