Additive manufacturing (AM) methods and post processing techniques are promising methodologies considering that it is now possible to print in a wide variety of materials using processes much refined from those originally available twenty years ago. To date the uptake of AM in Astronomy is relatively low compared to other application areas, aviation being one such example. Due to the rapid progress made in additive manufacturing and the lack of its adoption in Astronomy, there are many opportunity to deploy new fabrication processes. In this paper, we outline the project and report the results of our investigation to make use of additive manufacturing and novel materials in the fabrication of multi-functional integrated components fit for use in astronomy instrumentation, which can operate in cryogenic environments and space application.
Additive manufacturing (AM) offers many advantages, including material savings, lightening, design freedom, function integration, etc. In the case of cellular materials, regular structures (lattice and honeycomb) are particularly important due to their ability to reduce weight. However, the design process and FEM analysis of this type of structure is very high time-consuming. In order to mitigate this problem, we propose a modelling method, called "Equivalent Continuum Material", based on the treatment of a cellular material as a continuous mass. This document describes the method and presents examples of applications, to facilitate and understand its use.
Additive Manufacturing (AM; 3D printing) for mirror fabrication allows for intricate designs that can combine lightweight structures and integrated mounting. Conventional lightweight structures utilise cubic or prismatic unit cells, which do not provide uniform support at the edge of curved mirrors. We present a new circular lattice based upon cylindrical coordinates and how this lattice has been incorporated within an 80 mm diameter mirror intended for use in a 3U CubeSat telescope. Several design iterations are explored, which include prototype mirrors produced in a titanium alloy and a finite element analysis of the one of the design iterations.
A possible answer to the challenge brought by the construction of the next generation 40 m-class telescopes was the case study of FAME (Freeform Active Mirror Experiment). As the new instruments typically increased in both volume and complexity, the use of highly aspherical freeform surfaces could be a great solution as these systems are built up from fewer parts and can achieve higher performance. The idea of FAME was to create a thin face sheet which is then deformed to the nominal shape utilizing actuators mounted on the back of the mirror and acting parallel to the optical surface. The test phase of the FAME prototype revealed the complexity of the design and its sensitivity to manufacturing and assembly processes. As part of the characterization it was very difficult to predict correctly how the system behaves which is due to the several interfaces between the actuators and the face sheet. These experiences led to the development of a new structure that eliminates the strict tolerance chain obtained from a variety of components mounted on one another. It also means that the design for conventional manufacturing technologies should be left behind, and additive manufacturing must be introduced. This paper gives a brief overview how the lessons learned from the previous development is matched with the new design approach of the same component using topology optimization, additive manufacturing of metals and post processing of 3D printed parts. This work is funded under the OPTICON H2020 INFRAIA-2016-2017/H2020-INFRAIA-2016-1 Grant Agreement 730890.
In this paper we are exploring the possibilities of 3D printing in the fabrication of mirrors for astronomy. Taking the advantages of 3D printing to solve the existing problems caused by traditional manufacturing, two proof-of- concept mirror fabrication strategies are investigated in this paper. The first concept is a deformable mirror with embedded actuator supports system to minimise errors caused by the bonding interfaces during mirror assembly. The second concept is the adaption of the Stress Mirror Polishing (SMP) technique to a variety of mirror shapes by implemented a printed thickness distribution on the back side of the mirror. Design investigations and prototypes plans are presented for both studies.
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