RUAG
Left: Additively manufactured metal bracket for space applications. Right: Conventionally machined metal bracket for space applications.
RUAG Space has outlined its intentions to qualify and accelerate the series production of 3D printed space components, after signing a Memorandum of Understanding with Oerlikon.
The companies officially signed the agreement at the Farnborough International Airshow, and emphasised that this was merely another step on the route to maximising all that additive manufacturing (AM) has to offer.
Oerlikon and RUAG Space have already made progress on the qualification of a bracket designed to be installed on a payload fairing. 3D printing has enabled an optimised design, cost reduction of 25% and a 50% decrease in weight.
But this is only the start. Through this partnership, the companies will co-develop processes and standards for a variety of additively manufactured components, which they intend to allow the European space community to adopt. They will also look at refining existing alloys for AM processes, and develop new metal materials.
“Through our ongoing collaboration with RUAG Space, we have identified opportunities to fine-tune the qualification and certification processes, which are crucial in ensuring consistent quality in production,” commented Dr. Roland Fischer, CEO, Oerlikon Group. “We are confident that our materials and additive manufacturing expertise further grow this important partnership.”
“We see this partnership as an important step in unleashing the full value of additive manufacturing in the development of new products that meet the rapidly evolving demands of the space industry,” said Peter Guggenbach, CEO, RUAG Space. “We are working on standardising additive manufacturing operations for space and are excited to collaborate with Oerlikon to collaborate with Oerlikon AM to further develop industry-leading standards and processes.”
