Relativity's Stargate 3D printer and a fuel drum additively manufactured in three days.
Relativity Space has been awarded an 8.7 million USD contract by the US Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) to explore real-time flaw detection in additive manufacturing, according to Space News.
Space News reports that the two-year research contract will see Relativity Space use its Stargate 3D printing platform to explore in-situ process monitoring, non-destructive testing processes, advanced robotics, automation and digital enterprise tools.
The AFRL’s Materials and Manufacturing Directorate at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio has awarded the contract, with an AFRL physicist telling SpaceNews that the research efforts are being made ‘in response to congressional demand signal.’
In recent years, there has been a push from the Department of Defence to better understand and use additive manufacturing processes, with several research contracts distributed to also improve aspects like testing and defect detection.
Via this effort, the AFRL will work with Relativity to develop a real-time flaw detection system for large-format additive manufacturing. This piece of technology, according to the AFRL, will be able to detect, localise and classify defects during the print process, with the data being aggregated to enable a ‘true digital thread.’
This technology is being developed to allow the AFRL to generate more confidence in parts made with 3D printing techniques. By implementing non-destructive evaluation techniques, the AFRL will be able to examine the structure of components without damaging them. Its real-time nature will also mean the organisation can identify print errors more quickly.
Relativity Space has made a name for itself in the additive manufacturing community through its efforts to develop and launch rockets that have been manufactured with 3D printing. Last year, the company successfully launched its Terran 1 rocket – which is said to be 85% 3D printed by mass – with the launch vehicle surviving Max Q.
