The OPTICON A2IM Cookbook: an introduction to additive manufacture for astronomy

Atkins, Carolyn; Vorst, Bart van de; Conley, Andrew; Farkas, Szigfrid; Hugot, Emmanuel; Mező, György; Morris, Katherine C.; Roulet, Melanie; Snell, Robert M.; Sanginés, Fabio Tenegi; Todd, Iain; Vega-Moreno, A.; Schnetler, Hermine

doi:10.1117/12.2627244

Cited by 3 publications

(3 citation statements)

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“…AM is ideal manufacturing method for low part counts, mass reduction and part consolidation (combining individual components into a single component), as such, AM is an ideal manufacturing method for astronomical hardware which tends to be bespoke and complex in design and operation. 16 Bespoke metallic lightweight mirrors, frequently used in astronomical hardware, are a clear candidate for redesign using AM. In this case, the benefits of AM in terms of design can result in lightweight mirrors that are optimised for function, rather than designed to allow subtractive manufacturing.…”

Section: Additive Manufacture and Astronomical Mirrorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lightweight, aluminum, mirror design optimization for conventional and additive manufacturing processes

Paenoi

Bourgenot²,

Atkins³

et al. 2022

Advances in Optical and Mechanical Technologies for Telescopes and Instrumentation V

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Lightweight, aluminum, freeform prototype mirrors have been designed and fabricated by a Thai led team, with UK support, for intended applications within the Thai Space Consortium (TSC) satellite series. The project motivation was to explore the different design strategies and fabrication steps enabled by both conventional (mill, drill, and lathe) and additive (3D printing) manufacture of the prototype substrates. Single Point Diamond Turning was used to convert the substrates into mirrors and optical metrology was used to evaluate the different mirror surfaces.The prototype criteria originated from the TSC-1 satellite tertiary mirror, which is designed to minimize the effect of Seidel aberrations before the beam enters the hyperspectral imager. To converge upon the prototype designs, Finite Element Analysis (FEA) was used to evaluate the different physical conditions experienced by the prototypes during manufacture and how these influence the optical performance. The selected designs satisfied the mass and surface displacement criteria of the prototype and were adapted to either the conventional or additive manufacturing process. This paper will present the prototype design process, substrate manufacture, optical fabrication, and an interferometric evaluation of the optical surfaces comparing the conventional and additive manufacturing processes.

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Section: Additive Manufacture and Astronomical Mirrorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lightweight, aluminum, mirror design optimization for conventional and additive manufacturing processes

Paenoi

Bourgenot²,

Atkins³

et al. 2022

Advances in Optical and Mechanical Technologies for Telescopes and Instrumentation V

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“…These novel ways of mass reduction may include using lattice structures, topology optimisation and part consolidation. 1 Lattice structures are used to fill internal volumes and maintain some of the original structural strength. There are three main categories of volumetric lattices researched in this field: graph lattices, skeletal and sheet based Triply Periodic Minimum Surface (TPMS) lattices, and stochastic lattices.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

From design to evaluation of an additively manufactured, lightweight, deployable mirror for Earth observation

Westsik,

Wells,

Chahid

et al. 2023

Astronomical Optics: Design, Manufacture, and Test of Space and Ground Systems IV

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Additive manufacturing (AM; 3D Printing) is a process that fabricates objects layer-by-layer, unlocking previously unachievable geometrical freedom in design and manufacture. Its adoption for the manufacture of optical components for nanosats is challenging due to limited understanding of its inherent porosity and outgassing properties; however, AM has plenty of potential for lightweight space-based mirror structures as it enables the use of lattice structures and topology optimisation. AM is particularly relevant to nanosat deployable optics (DO) instrumentation, where a segmented mirror needs to be packed within a limited volume and mass budget. This paper describes the design, analysis, manufacture and metrology of AM mirror petal prototypes for a 6U nanosat DO payload. The objective of the prototypes was to reduce the mass and the part count relative to the conventional design. From the available 33 volumetric lattices including graph, triply periodic minimal surface and stochastic lattices within the AM design software used, two were downselected by using finite element analysis and manufacturability experiments. Prototypes were designed using these lattices, and the geometric and interface requirements of the conventional petal. These were printed, using laser powder bed fusion, in the aluminium alloy AlSi10Mg and post-processed using single point diamond turning. The internal (porosity) and external geometrical properties of the manufactured prototypes were measured using X-ray computed tomography and the optical properties of the reflective surface evaluated using interferometry. By utilising AM, a mass reduction of 44 % and the consolidation of nine parts into one was achieved.

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“…There are several challenges associated with AM which currently contribute towards its lack of adoption within astronomical instrumentation, 2 for example: lack of standardisation, resulting in variable material properties; porosity, leading to potential areas of fracture and trapped gas; surface roughness, necessitating the need for machining interfaces and challenges in cleanliness; and, arguably, a lack of trained senior engineers able to implement AM successfully and to mentor early career engineers. However, none of these challenges are insurmountable.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Outgassing properties of additively manufactured aluminium

Watson¹,

Breen²,

Walpole³

et al. 2022

Advances in Optical and Mechanical Technologies for Telescopes and Instrumentation V

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Details of a programme to investigate the outgassing rate of additively manufactured (AM) aluminium alloys are presented. AM has significant potential benefits to applications in ground-and space-based instrumentation, particularly in mass optimisation, part consolidation and increased design freedom. However, its use in high-risk projects is often curtailed by lack of heritage and an imperfect understanding of the materials. The programme goal was to address one of the most significant topics preventing wider adoption of AM technology in cryogenic and space-based applications; uncertainty about material outgassing. The sensitivity of outgassing rates to various key parameters was characterised, including print method, post-processing and geometrical complexity. Correlation of outgassing rates against other measurable properties, such as sample porosity and surface roughness, was also investigated via the use of X-ray computed tomography and profilometry. Finally, the test apparatus, experimental design and implications of the findings on design and process control are discussed.

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The OPTICON A2IM Cookbook: an introduction to additive manufacture for astronomy

Cited by 3 publications

References 0 publications

Lightweight, aluminum, mirror design optimization for conventional and additive manufacturing processes

Lightweight, aluminum, mirror design optimization for conventional and additive manufacturing processes

From design to evaluation of an additively manufactured, lightweight, deployable mirror for Earth observation

Outgassing properties of additively manufactured aluminium

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