3D系统宣布航空制造商空中客车has contracted it to produce “critical components” of the upcomingOneSatsatellite.
Unlike traditional satellites, which are designed for specifically-defined missions, Airbus says the OneSat will be fully-reconfigurable in-orbit, enabling it to change coverage area, capacity and frequency “on the fly.” Having been selected to help build the device, 3D Systems will now deploy itsDMP Factory 500串行生产其天线阵列的平台，可以增强其性能。
“Our company has a strong partnership with 3D Systems and has relied on its team of application engineers to help us bring our most advanced designs to life,” said Stephen Phipps, OneSat antenna program manager at Airbus Defence and Space. “Everything from the quality of the parts produced using their printers, through to parts qualification, quality management, and overall project management have helped Airbus Defence and Space maintain its position as an industry leader.”
“OneSat is a truly disruptive product, and we wanted our design and manufacturing process to possess that same level of innovation.”
空中客车’ continued 3D printing adoption
正如您从欧洲最大的航空公司和太空公司中所期望的那样，空中客车公司不断参与尖端研发，目的是确定可以解锁航空航天制造业进步的技术创新。
This approach has often led Airbus to experiment with 3D printing, particularly on the aviation side of its business. As recently as June last year,实现和EOSbecame the首先有资格使用SLS 3D打印飞行准备的空中客车零件。At the time, this development was expected to allow the former’s technology to be used in the production of aircraft elements for planes like the A320, A330, and A340.
In the past, the company has also worked with the likes ofSigma Labsto评估Printrite3D的航空潜力和Farsoon Technologies发展3D printing polymers for civil aviationapplications. The latter, which marked Airbus’ first collaboration of its kind with a Chinese partner, essentially focused on the R&D of a material which Farsoon could use to make aerospace-grade parts.
Elsewhere, on the space side of its business, Airbus has steadily ramped up its satellite part additive manufacturing capabilities as well. Since3D printing its first radio frequency (RF) filterin 2017, the firm has stepped up its activities in this area dramatically, culminating in a project in 2021 that saw itintegrate 500 3D printed parts into the Eurostar Neo, a series of broadcast relay satellites made forEutelsat。
3D系统’ OneSat realization role
Following the conclusion of its design review in April 2021, Airbus has now begun to manufacture the OneSat, with the likes ofOptus,Intelsat和theSKY Perfect JSAT Corporationhaving already placed orders. In the process of doing so, the firm has turned to 3D Systems’应用创新组(AIG), which has come up with a way of 3D printing the satellite’s large antenna arrays.
3D系统’ contribution to the build will see it leverage the seven years’ experience it has accrued while 3D printing alongside Airbus, to provide its partner with an end-to-end solution to creating the parts, including materials, machines and software.
Specifically, the OneSat’s two arrays, one designed to transmit and the other to receive signals, are set to be made fromLaserForm AlSi10Mg。使用该公司AIG开发的参数进行3D打印，预计将导致所需的30μm层厚度的部分，同时部署DMP Factory 500及其真空室进行此操作，应为它们提供表面同质性。
在整个项目中，还预计AIG团队将以“项目经理”的身份行事。这将使3D系统的工程师确定后处理和质量检查分包商，能够减轻风险并减少这些部分的市场时间。AIG也正在领导技术转移过程，其中预计另一台1级供应商有助于增加组件的生产。
据说这家未透露姓名的供应商将购买另一家DMP工厂500，既可以补充其现有的车队，并允许其满足空客所需的质量水平。但是，3D Systems的航空航天和国防部副总裁Michael Shepard博士强调，3D Systems在该项目中的作用不仅仅是仅仅获得另一笔销售。
“As with our earliest work with Airbus on the first additively manufactured RF filter, we have the opportunity to bring another ‘first’ to the industry that is changing telecommunications,” adds Shepard. “Our AIG has laid the groundwork for developing the application for this component, and we’re proud that 3D Systems’ technology can help lay the foundation for Airbus to build a strong supply chain for serial production of passive RF hardware.”
“我们重视与空中客车防御和空间的长期合作伙伴关系，并对我们的集体工作继续在电信卫星上留下印记感到满意。”
High-throughput satellite 3D printing
While the 3D printing of satellite parts has been going on for a number of years now, the speed and complexity of this process has continued to accelerate. Earlier this year,波音unveiled a newhigh-throughput satellite 3D printing facility,旨在开启快速交付时间表its smaller devices.
Similarly, Australian satellite developer车队空间revealed plans in December 2021 to launch anext-gen series of 3D printed small satellites。Reportedly the world’s first entirely additive manufactured satellite, the Alpha is set to take advantage of the firm’s advanced beamforming technology and patented antennas, to unlock greater connectivity more quickly across a larger number of locations.
AtAlba Orbital, meanwhile, engineers have managed to develop 3D printed假脚架，已经将多个卫星推入轨道。在2022年2月，这家苏格兰公司透露，其最新集群Albapods已被SpaceX发射到太空中在部署为太空研究任务设计的13个Pocketqube设备之前。
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特色图片显示了艺术家对OneSat卫星的外观的印象。通过空客图像。
