Singapore-based 3D printing service providerCreatz3D已经公布了一个创新的超轻质卫星发射容器。
Developed alongside partnersQosmosys和Nuspace, the unique build was designed to house 50 gold-anodized artworks that were later fired into orbit bySpaceX, in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Pioneer 10 probe launch. Using 3D printing, the firms found they were able to reduce the satellite holder’s mass by more than 50%, while also drastically driving down its cost and lead time.
“The original proposed design was [made from] sheet material,” explained Ng Zhen Ning, CEO & Co-founder of NuSpace. “[This] could cost up to $4,000 to $5,000, and require a long lead time of at least three weeks for a machine-manufactured component to reach us, whereas 3D printing the parts took only two to three days.”
Creatz3D: more than a reseller
At first glance, Creatz3D may seem to have an offering similar to other Singaporian 3D printing resellers and service providers such asZELTA 3D或者3D打印新加坡。该公司销售许多受欢迎的聚合物，金属和陶瓷3D打印机，以及3D打印软件包和后处理系统，但它也为苛刻用例的人提供了定制的服务。雷电竞app下载
Since it was established in 2012, Creatz3D has worked with over 150 commercial partners and research facilities. This has allowed the firm to accumulate substantial experience within industrial-grade 3D printing projects, knowledge it deployed last year to help Qosmosys develop aNASAtribute capable of surviving in the cold vacuum of space.
A tribute to aerospace innovation
Initiated by on-demand orbital launch firm Qosmosys, Project Godspeed was set up to celebrate the launch of the Pioneer 10, a 1972 NASA probe that completed the first ever mission to Jupiter. However, while it had been decided that the a satellite test container would be filled with artworks commemorating the Pioneer’s launch, it was initially less clear how this could be best achieved.
Traditionally, CNC machining or metal sheet forming would be deployed to create an aluminum casing, but given that iterating such parts would involve folding and sawing them, the firm deemed this ineffective. Another issue that needed considering was ‘outgassing,’ an issue in which the pressure of operating in space causes gear to release a gas that becomes trapped and damages nearby parts.
To get around these problems, Qosmosys worked with Creatz3D and NuSpace to develop a casing fromAntero 800NA, aStratasys材料具有高耐化学性和低gassing properties. Once ready, the test container had to be small enough for housing inside the Zeus-1’s satellite holder. In order to ensure this was possible, Creatz3D says it tweaked the wall thicknesses of a CAD model supplied by NuSpace, in a way that yielded a part which fitted “like hand into glove.”
据说，重量为362克，所产生的构建也比其称重的800克轻得多，如果它是从铝制6061中制造的。总体而言，NASA认为每次有效载荷每磅10,000美元，每笔有效载荷，这是每磅10,000美元的成本，团队说，他们的方法也使宙斯-1在其他领域也更具成本效益。
The Zeus-1 was launched onboard a SpaceX rideshare from Cape Canaveral, Florida on December 18, 2022.
Satellite 3D printing’s ongoing advances
Nowadays, aerospace 3D printing has reached such an advanced stage that the technology is deployed not just in the production of satellite accessories, but the creation of the craft themselves. In July 2022, it was announced that3D Systemshad been contracted byFleet Spaceto3D print radio frequency patch antennasfor use on its Alpha satellites.
Last year,Boeingalso unveiled a new high-throughput小卫星3D打印设施。The complex, which became operational in late-2022, is said to deploy the technology to accelerate satellite production and create entire space-ready buses.
While not strictly satellites themselves,Alba Orbital’s 3D printed PocketQube launchersare often used to propel such devices into orbit. Manufactured entirely fromCRP Technology’sWindform XT 2.0复合材料，Alba Orbital的低成本AlbaPoddeployers were utilized to launch several miniature satellites during 2022.
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Featured image shows the NuSpace team with the final 3D printed satellite casing. Photo via Creatz3D.
