About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
2027 TMS Annual Meeting & Exhibition
|
| Symposium
|
Advances in Materials Deposition by Cold Spray and Related Technologies IV
|
| Presentation Title |
Cold Spray Metallization of 3D-Printed, Space-Grade Liquid Crystal Polymer for CubeSat Applications |
| Author(s) |
Finn Day, Ethan Lazar, Jacob Fleck, Sam Boese, Aidan Sevinsky, Thomas Keller, Yicheng Yang, Bill Lenart, Joseph Wright, Andrew Neils |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Finn Day |
| Abstract Scope |
Tullomer is a recently commercialized liquid crystal polymer (LCP) fused-deposition modeling filament characterized by high crystallinity, low outgassing, and a very high strength-to-weight ratio, making it an attractive base material for CubeSat structures. This work evaluates the feasibility of cold spray metallization of additively manufactured (3D-printed) Tullomer substrates using low-melting-point metals such as tin. A design of experiments was used to identify optimal process parameters, varying gas temperature, pressure, and standoff distance, which govern particle velocity and heat transfer to the underlying polymer substrate. Resulting metal-polymer composites were evaluated via microhardness, pull-off adhesion, and bend testing, with the coating-substrate interface further characterized through cross-sectional optical and scanning electron microscopy. This work establishes a processing framework for cold spray metallization of 3D-printed liquid crystal polymers, offering a path toward multifunctional, lightweight CubeSat structures. |
| Proceedings Inclusion? |
Planned: |
| Keywords |
Additive Manufacturing, Polymers, Process Technology |