Robotic 3D printed lunar bionic architecture based on lunar regolith selective laser sintering technology

Abstract

The lunar base is not only an experimental station for extraterrestrial space exploration but also a dwelling for humans performing this exploration. Building a lunar base presents numerous obstacles and requires environmental perception, feedback design, and construction methods. An integrated fabrication process that incorporates design, 3D printing workflow, and construction details to build a bionic, reconfigurable and high-performance lunar base prototype is presented in this paper. The research comprises the study of the lunar regolith 3D printing mechanism, the real-time control of powder laying and compaction procedure, and the development of a 3D printing tool end system. In this paper, many scientific questions regarding in situ fabrication on the lunar surface are raised and addressed with the proposal of a progressive optimization design method, the molding principle, and gradation strategy of lunar soil-polyaryletherketone (PAEK) hybrid powder, and the principle of dual-light field 3D laser printing. The feasibility of the technical strategy proposed in this paper is verified by the presented empirical samples.