The Applicability of Additive Manufacturing in Mass Production and Space Operations
Open Access
- Author:
- Stone, Robert
- Area of Honors:
- Electrical Engineering
- Degree:
- Bachelor of Science
- Document Type:
- Thesis
- Thesis Supervisors:
- Sven G Bilén, Thesis Supervisor
Julio Urbina, Thesis Honors Advisor - Keywords:
- Additive Manufacturing
Binder Jetting
Microwave Electrothermal Thrusters
MET
Mass Production
Space Operations - Abstract:
- Additive manufacturing is taking over the mass production industry by storm. More companies are electing to print components of a machine or the entire machine itself. Manufacturing efforts that were thought to be arduous or impossible before the implementation of both plastic and metal additive manufacturing are now possible. The benefits of switching to additive manufacturing from subtractive manufacturing range from less leftover material after machining to cleaner production of the interior of components. With the constant updates of CAD software, it is easier for students and engineers to design parts. The future of additive manufacturing will be applied to industries around the world. As the technology develops, it will become more accessible to the public, eventually allowing every workshop and lab to have a metal additive manufacturing machine to eliminate the barriers to creativity. This thesis addresses several methods of additive manufacturing and shows how they could be applied to current research with microwave electrothermal thrusters. The MET can be made of materials like aluminum, bronze, or titanium, which can all be used in the additive manufacturing process. Rather than make the thruster through a subtractive process like milling, the thruster can be designed and printed in multiple parts that can be put together in post-processing. The result is a cleaner, more efficient way to maneuver spacecraft while utilizing the most updated additive manufacturing processes.