About this Abstract |
Meeting |
2022 Annual International Solid Freeform Fabrication Symposium (SFF Symp 2022)
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Symposium
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2022 Annual International Solid Freeform Fabrication Symposium (SFF Symp 2022)
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Presentation Title |
Additive Manufacturing of Compliant Mechanisms for Deployable Space Structures |
Author(s) |
Christine Gebara, Sarah Ludeman, Savannah Sunez, Paul Lytal |
On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Christine Gebara |
Abstract Scope |
Over the past decade, additive manufacturing (AM) has matured and been infused into numerous spaceflight missions. Simultaneously, deployable structures have become more common on spacecraft. These structures seek to maximize packing efficiency using complex systems that challenge traditional manufacturing methods.
An example is the spring mechanisms developed for the NISAR satellite antenna. The mechanism required high torque and was severely volume constrained. This resulted in the use of high aspect ratio rectangular cross-section torsion springs. These springs represented the state of the art for manufacturing. Significant testing, development, and rework was needed for the traditional springs to meet requirements.
These issues can now be avoided using AM. By printing torsion springs, novel geometries are possible, thus increasing performance while decreasing complexity. The springs can be printed with the surrounding structure, minimizing part count. This work will demonstrate that AM hardware can provide novel capability for resource limited missions. |
Proceedings Inclusion? |
Definite: Post-meeting proceedings |