Metal additive, going above and beyond
The space industry is often characterized by complex parts in low volumes, making it an ideal industry to use metal additive. Now, the ready are evaluating how additive can yield benefits like increased part performance, reduced lead-times and reduced costs for space applications.
Make space travel regular, reliable, and affordable
Some want to go to the Mars. Some want to stay at the forefront of the communications sector. Some want to be a leader in smallsat manufacturing. And others are interested in Earth observation or interplanetary travel.
Whatever your goal may be, additive plays a key role in enabling the continued success of human space travel. It is already enabling the production of low-cost satellites and lighter, more efficient rockets to launch cargos into orbit.
To stay at the forefront of space exploration, you must radically change the way you design and build satellites, rockets, launch vehicles and more. Additive is the game-changing technology you need to reduce weight through 3D designs, digital analysis & optimization built exclusively for space applications.
Download our playbook "Building the Business Case: Identifying Criteria to Measure ROI for Additive Manufacturing," where we outline 4 steps to create a comprehensive business case and move to production – faster.
Case Study
Optisys creates a superior antenna with metal additive
Traditional antenna manufacturing consists of complex systems that are large and heavy, which can lead to higher launch costs and inconsistent radio frequency (RF) performance at higher frequency bands. Optisys set out to capture new revenue streams by creating a superior antenna that operates up to a 90-GHz frequency band. They broke even on the machine acquisition just one year after purchasing and saw a 75% reduction in non-recurring costs.
Performance factors:
• 95% weight reduction
• 80% size reduction
Supply chain disruption:
• 100 parts with subtractive manufacturing to 1 part with additive
• Lead-time reduction: 11 months to 2 months
Our machine solutions
Our experts will help you find the right machine type for your space application.
Our machine solutions
Our experts will help you find the right machine type for your space application.
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Arcam EBM Q20plusEBMArcam EBM Q20plus
For cost-efficient production of large, distortion-free aerospace components
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Arcam EBM Spectra HEBM
Arcam EBM Spectra H
Effective high-temperature production of crack-prone materials for large, high-integrity parts
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Concept Laser X Line 2000RDMLM
Concept Laser X Line 2000R
Print large parts safely, efficiently, and consistently
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Concept Laser M2 Series 5DMLM
Concept Laser M2 Series 5
Enabling consistent and repeatable part quality at scale
Industry benefits
LOWER COSTS AND SIMPLIFIED SUPPLY CHAINS
AM allows you to consolidate parts, which can reduce your supply sources and logistical costs. It also allows for small batch series or single item production, which is a relevant issue in satellite manufacturing and the space industry in general.
IMPROVED HARDWARE PERFORMANCE
It has been shown that additive components and systems can outperform their traditional predecessors due to material and geometry flexibility. The ability to manufacture internal cooling channels that are not feasible with traditional methods also adds to improved performance and new functionality.
REDUCED TIME FROM DEVELOPMENT TO LAUNCH
High flexibility can significantly reduce development, testing, and manufacturing lead times
FASTER CYCLE TIME
Tooling elimination and manufacturing simplification can reduce cycle time up to 10X. Furthermore, traditional manufacturing methods that are often characterized by long lead-times are substantially decreased.
FLEXIBLE LOGISTICS
Additive allows distributed manufacturing and on-demand product solutions.
