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Tethers Unlimited to Develop 3D Printed Spacecraft With Embedded Radiation Shielding
http://www.parabolicarc.com/2013/09/19/tethers-unlimited-develop-3d-printed-spacecraft-embedded-radiation-shielding/
Tethers Unlimited to Develop 3D Printed Spacecraft With Embedded Radiation Shielding
Posted by Doug Messier on September 19, 2013, at 3:23 p
Bothell, WA, 19 September 2013 (TUI PR) – Tethers Unlimited, Inc. (TUI) has signed a contract with the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) to develop technologies to enable 3D printing of spacecraft structures with embedded radiation shielding. Under this Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract, TUI will develop its patent pending processes for creating structural elements containing an internal layered composition of polymers and metals that is exceptionally efficient at absorbing space radiation. This “Versatile Structural Radiation Shielding” (VSRS) technology takes advantage of the flexibility of 3D printing to enable rapid and affordable fabrication of customized parts that minimize the mass required to shield spacecraft electronics.
“The desire to lower the cost and improve the performance of spacecraft systems is driving many satellite developers to consider commercial, off the shelf, or ‘COTS’ electronics, but these components are more susceptible to radiation than the very expensive hardened components that are traditionally used,” said Nestor Voronka, TUI’s Chief Technologist. “The VSRS technology integrates radiation shielding into the spacecraft structures so we can enable those COTS components to operate reliably while maintaining their low cost and low mass advantages.”
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Tethers Unlimited to Develop 3D Printed Spacecraft With Embedded Radiation Shielding
Posted by Doug Messier on September 19, 2013, at 3:23 p
Bothell, WA, 19 September 2013 (TUI PR) – Tethers Unlimited, Inc. (TUI) has signed a contract with the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) to develop technologies to enable 3D printing of spacecraft structures with embedded radiation shielding. Under this Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract, TUI will develop its patent pending processes for creating structural elements containing an internal layered composition of polymers and metals that is exceptionally efficient at absorbing space radiation. This “Versatile Structural Radiation Shielding” (VSRS) technology takes advantage of the flexibility of 3D printing to enable rapid and affordable fabrication of customized parts that minimize the mass required to shield spacecraft electronics.
“The desire to lower the cost and improve the performance of spacecraft systems is driving many satellite developers to consider commercial, off the shelf, or ‘COTS’ electronics, but these components are more susceptible to radiation than the very expensive hardened components that are traditionally used,” said Nestor Voronka, TUI’s Chief Technologist. “The VSRS technology integrates radiation shielding into the spacecraft structures so we can enable those COTS components to operate reliably while maintaining their low cost and low mass advantages.”
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