Design and modeling of an additive manufactured thin shell for x-ray astronomy

Charlotte Feldman; Carolyn Atkins; David Brooks; Stephen Watson; William Cochrane; Melanie Roulet; Richard Willingale; Peter Doel

doi:10.1117/12.2273422

8 September 2017 Design and modeling of an additive manufactured thin shell for x-ray astronomy

Charlotte Feldman, Carolyn Atkins, David Brooks, Stephen Watson, William Cochrane, Melanie Roulet, Richard Willingale, Peter Doel

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 10399, Optics for EUV, X-Ray, and Gamma-Ray Astronomy VIII; 103991H (2017) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2273422
Event: SPIE Optical Engineering + Applications, 2017, San Diego, California, United States

Abstract

Future X-ray astronomy missions require light-weight thin shells to provide large collecting areas within the weight limits of launch vehicles, whilst still delivering angular resolutions close to that of Chandra (0.5 arc seconds). Additive manufacturing (AM), also known as 3D printing, is a well-established technology with the ability to construct or ‘print’ intricate support structures, which can be both integral and light-weight, and is therefore a candidate technique for producing shells for space-based X-ray telescopes. The work described here is a feasibility study into this technology for precision X-ray optics for astronomy and has been sponsored by the UK Space Agency’s National Space Technology Programme. The goal of the project is to use a series of test samples to trial different materials and processes with the aim of developing a viable path for the production of an X-ray reflecting prototype for astronomical applications. The initial design of an AM prototype X-ray shell is presented with ray-trace modelling and analysis of the X-ray performance. The polishing process may cause print-through from the light-weight support structure on to the reflecting surface. Investigations in to the effect of the print-through on the X-ray performance of the shell are also presented.

Citation Download Citation

Charlotte Feldman, Carolyn Atkins, David Brooks, Stephen Watson, William Cochrane, Melanie Roulet, Richard Willingale, and Peter Doel "Design and modeling of an additive manufactured thin shell for x-ray astronomy", Proc. SPIE 10399, Optics for EUV, X-Ray, and Gamma-Ray Astronomy VIII, 103991H (8 September 2017); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2273422

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available

Members: $17.00

Non-members: $21.00 ADD TO CART

PROCEEDINGS
9 PAGES

DOWNLOAD PAPER SAVE TO MY LIBRARY

GET CITATION

RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

Get copyright permission Get copyright permission on Copyright Marketplace

KEYWORDS

X-ray astronomy

Additive manufacturing

X-rays

Astronomy

Mirrors

Prototyping

X-ray optics

Show All Keywords

Keywords/Phrases

Search In:

Publication Years