System Development for the Five-Axis Extrusion of a Photopolymer

Kirkman, Daniel; Af, Van Der Merwe; Campbell, Ian

doi:10.7166/31-3-2448

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…This concept consists of the extrusion and connection of individual photopolymer strands with integrated glass fiber to form free-form objects (Festo and Co, 2016). Another concept introduced by Krikman et al involves a 3d-printer that is able to create free-form geometries while curing the photopolymer with a UV-laser (Kirkman et al, 2020). However, it is also possible to use the process layer by layer, as shown, for example, by Darling and Smith or the company Massivit 3D 1 (Darling and Smith, 2021).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Direct Robotic Extrusion of Photopolymers (DREPP): Influence of microgravity on an in-space manufacturing method

Kringer

Böhrer

Frey

et al. 2022

Front. Space Technol.

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A method using Direct Robotic Extrusion of Photopolymers (DREPP) to manufacture structures in space in a cost- and power-efficient way is presented in this article. The DREPP technology has the potential to outperform conventional deployable structures, which generally suffer from severe limitations: long and high-cost development phases, dimensioning driven by launch loads instead of operational loads, mechanical complexity as well as constraints to the maximum structure size due to volume limitations on the spacecraft. In-Space Manufacturing (ISM) and especially AM offer a solution to circumvent these limitations. Fundamental investigations on AM in space have already been carried out on the International Space Station (ISS). Numerous test prints have shown that Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) provide satisfactory results under microgravity and controlled environmental conditions. With the investigated manufacturing process, a photoreactive resin is robotically extruded through a nozzle and directly cured by UV-light. Unlike most conventional Additive Manufacturing (AM) methods, which manufacture layer-by-layer, the DREPP technology is able to create three-dimensional structural elements in one continuous movement. To investigate the feasibility under microgravity conditions, multiple experiments were performed on parabolic flights, where it was shown that different geometries can be successfully manufactured under microgravity conditions. When examining the printing process at zero-gravity and under 1 g conditions, differences in the printing behaviour can be observed, which are investigated in detail. In addition, the evaluation shows that a large curing zone – the transition area between the liquid and cured state of the extruded resin – is easier to handle in zero-gravity than under 1 g conditions. This contributes to an increased overall process stability and enables new ways for controlling the process. This article provides details on the ground, zero and altered gravity testing, process quality evaluation and gives an outlook on future investigations of the DREPP approach and preparations for experiments in microgravity and vacuum on a sounding rocket.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%