Andrés Caparrós

By Jonathan Becedas and Andrés Caparrós

Space debris has become a major aspect in the last few years. The vast amount of artificial objects orbiting the Earth is increasing. These objects are a threat for active and future missions. Besides, the possibility of uncontrolled re-entry of some of them reaching the surface of the Earth exists. The aim of this work is to provide a view on how to use additive manufacturing technology to design the next generation of satellites in order to reduce the space debris. The components that can be manufactured with additive manufacturing are identified, together with the technologies that are enabled by additive manufacturing to reduce space debris. Finally, the results of these studies and analysis are incorporated into the design of the structure of a small satellite. This study is being part of the H2020 European Project ReDSHIFT (Project ID 687500).

Part of the book: Applications of Design for Manufacturing and Assembly

By Jonathan Becedas, Andrés Caparrós, Antonio Ramírez, Pablo Morillo, Esther Sarachaga and Almudena Martín-Moreno

The aim of this work is to demonstrate the use of additive manufacturing with thermoplastic material in the whole functional structure of spacecraft and to mechanically qualify it for space flight. For such purpose, an 8 U CubeSat structure was manufactured in polyetherimide (PEI) ULTEM™ through 3D printing and passed several vibration tests. The results are compared with those obtained in the qualification of the same structure manufactured in aluminum alloy AA-6082 T651 through a conventional CNC method. The qualification consisted of passing the vibration requirements in quasi-static, sine, and random tests to fly in PSLV launcher. Finally, a robustness test for the 3D-printed structure is included, and all the results are analyzed. This study is being part of the H2020 European Project ReDSHIFT (Project ID 687500).

Part of the book: Advanced Engineering Testing