ARGO 500: alternative production methods for reorganizing harnesses in spacecrafts
3D Printing in the Space Sector
The space sector deals with the design, production, and maintenance of spacecrafts such as rockets, satellites, rovers, and spaceships. Spacecraft can vary widely in size but are all subject to strict regulations.
All components that travel in space are designed to try and use the available space as efficiently as possible. For this reason, the design of vehicles is frequently subject to numerous changes in the design phase in order to obtain a result that minimizes empty spaces.
Within the spacecraft, there are numerous cables of various calibers that are attached to specific connectors. These connectors are used for the transfer of power and data to the various components. In large satellites, the cabling can reach a length of 20km/12.4 miles, presenting up to 50,000 connections and 1000 connectors, but in this case, with such large volumes, a meticulous space organization is not necessary.
On the other hand, in small satellites, the cabling is severely limited by the volume available. It is necessary to minimize the number of cables present and their length, trying to integrate both power and data transmission in the same component as much as possible, or alternatively, trying to group cables so that the wiring is sorted and allocated in a safe place.
In recent years, increase in the number of small satellites launched into space and the complexity of the missions they undertake have made it necessary to have a greater amount of cable supports and connectors on board than in the past. Therefore, it has become increasingly complex to search for methods to optimize the space required for wiring - especially when it comes to really limited dimensions, for instance, in the case of CubeSats.
Roboze additive manufacturing offers freedom and flexibility of design with fast and practical results. The frames of the small satellites, for example, can be designed using Roboze 3D printing technology: it is possible to print sandwich panels that contain honeycomb structures with cavities for the passage of cables, with a 50% reduction of the structure’s mass, compared to the use of aluminum.
If made using traditional methods, these types of structures would require significant investments and long production times, but through Roboze 3D printers it was possible to reduce production costs and times by easily printing these structures.
ARGO 500, a 3D printer of the Production series, has high-performance materials suitable for the space environment such as PEEK and CARBON PEEK. These super polymers have excellent chemical and thermal properties, radiation resistance, and low outgassing values.
If you want to discover all the advantages of Roboze 3D printing technology visit our website www.roboze.com or send an email to info@roboze.com for more information. Get ready to print strong like metal!