Satellite tv for pc manufacturing is getting into a brand new section, one the place complexity meets customization, and conventional manufacturing strategies are making room for additive manufacturing (AM). On the heart of this transfer is SWISSto12, an organization utilizing 3D printing to rethink how satellites are designed and made. This transformation is generally evident in radio frequency (RF) communications, which energy the whole lot from broadband web to protection programs, and it’s right here that SWISSto12 is pushing AM additional than ever earlier than.
“Additive manufacturing in satellite tv for pc manufacturing has developed from a novel idea to a totally certified and trusted course of,” Mathieu Billod, Head of Manufacturing Applied sciences at SWISSto12, advised 3DPrint.com. “SWISSto12 has been on the forefront of this transformation during the last twelve years.”
With over 1,000 3D printed parts already in orbit, the corporate is proving that 3D printing is turning into commonplace for important programs in area.
From Idea to Confidence
Based in 2011 as a spin-off from the Swiss Federal Institute of Expertise in Lausanne (EPFL), SWISSto12’s journey with AM started with RF parts, that are very important for sending and receiving alerts in area. However the firm didn’t cease there. “We’ve got expanded into structural, thermal, and mechanical domains,” says Billod. “Now we’re targeted on scaling manufacturing, bettering high quality, and packing extra capabilities into fewer components.”
On the core of SWISSto12’s method is high-precision steel AM, primarily utilizing Selective Laser Melting (SLM). The corporate prints advanced buildings in certified aluminum alloys, making certain components meet the strict mechanical, thermal, and RF efficiency necessities of area missions. In some instances, SWISSto12 additionally applies floor metallization methods to spice up conductivity and optimize RF habits in printed parts.
SWISSto12 makes use of MetalFabG2 steel 3D printers to make RF parts like this multibeam cluster.
This drive to combine and simplify is the place AM makes the largest impression. Conventional satellite tv for pc manufacturing is determined by subtractive strategies—reducing and shaping steel into components, then assembling them like a puzzle. However 3D printing breaks from that mannequin.
“Our additive manufacturing course of is essentially completely different. It permits larger design freedom, permitting us to consolidate a number of capabilities right into a single light-weight element. By integrating AM from the earliest phases of design, we eradicate pointless interfaces and scale back measurement, weight, and complexity—one thing conventional strategies can’t match.”
Mathieu Billod, head of Statcom person terminal merchandise at SWISSto12.
Weight is the whole lot in area. The lighter the satellite tv for pc, the cheaper it’s to launch—and the more room is left for payloads. SWISSto12’s 3D printed waveguides, for example, can scale back platform measurement by as much as 30%. These compact parts assist excessive RF efficiency whereas liberating up helpful area contained in the satellite tv for pc.
Past lighter designs, the components are additionally constructed for larger sturdiness: “We use totally certified aluminum alloys that meet or exceed conventional mechanical and thermal requirements,” says Billod. By strengthening high-stress areas and lowering meeting steps, SWISSto12 improves reliability in excessive circumstances, important for satellites anticipated to outlive years in orbit. What’s extra, its processes are aligned with European Cooperation for House Standardization (ECSS) requirements, which SWISSto12 helped to create, making certain each half meets rigorous space-grade reliability expectations.
Actual Missions, Actual Outcomes
SWISSto12’s know-how is already working in orbit. Its RF parts are a part of the EUTELSAT Konnect VHTS and EUTELSAT 10B satellites, launched with Thales Alenia House. These missions show that 3D printed components can carry out effectively in area, even with heavy knowledge calls for.
Constructing on that success, SWISSto12 is increasing into full satellite tv for pc manufacturing. Its new HummingSat platform—a collaboration with Thales Alenia and backed by the European House Company (ESA)—is designed to ship conventional geostationary (GEO) satellite tv for pc capabilities in a a lot smaller, lighter, and extra inexpensive bundle. Enabled by AM, HummingSat goals to reshape the GEO market by providing agility and value financial savings with out compromising efficiency. The primary mission, developed for Intelsat, is anticipated to launch within the coming years.
SWISSto12’s HummingSat
Past orbit, the corporate additionally brings its RF printing experience to Earth. They’ve developed floor terminals for protection, emergency response, and occasion connectivity. One latest mission options fixed-beam antennas with 95% radiation effectivity, made attainable by 3D printing monolithic apertures. They’re light-weight, moveable, and designed for fast deployment, which is right for high-demand environments. The crew can also be creating electronically steered antennas, which use software-defined beam motion and supply broad purposes throughout protection, aviation, and maritime markets.
One in every of AM’s largest guarantees is flexibility. “AM permits us to tailor subsystems to mission-specific wants with out the price or delay of customized tooling,” says Billod. That is particularly vital for the fast-rising area financial system, the place each mission has completely different satellite tv for pc necessities and sizes, payload calls for, and frequency bands.
Billod notes that SWISSto12 is making ready for this demand: “We’re additionally scaling up our personal manufacturing with extra printers to satisfy rising demand, reflecting AM’s key position in enabling scalable area architectures.”
That infrastructure will enable them to in the future manufacture satellites or key subsystems on-demand, at velocity.
“Whereas we’re not totally there but, ongoing automation and printer functionality expansions are fast-tracking our skill to ship {hardware} with unprecedented velocity and customization,” explains the engineer. “We envision a near-future state of affairs the place satellites or subsystems might be produced on-demand to satisfy pressing operational necessities. Our scalable manufacturing mannequin and versatile design method are key enablers.”
Trimming the Satellite tv for pc Footprint
There’s additionally a sustainability story behind this shift. AM wastes far much less materials than conventional machining, which begins with massive blocks of steel and cuts away the surplus. The knowledgeable explains that SWISSto12 can scale back launch mass, half depend, and meeting time. That interprets to decrease emissions throughout the satellite tv for pc’s lifecycle, from manufacturing to launch.
These enhancements additionally scale back prices, serving to prospects save on manufacturing and transport. However even with these good points, AM nonetheless faces challenges.
One main hurdle comes from the legacy approach of creating RF parts, which regularly required assembling many small components by hand. This made integration advanced and raised the danger of misalignment. 3D printing simplifies this by consolidating components right into a single construction, bettering RF efficiency and precision whereas reducing weight, explains Billod.
One other problem is connecting new 3D printed components with conventional electronics. The success right here is determined by cautious co-design, thermal planning, and mechanical integration from the start. SWISSto12 developed particular instruments to assist prospects consider and fine-tune efficiency early.
Lastly, industry-wide adoption has been slowed by misconceptions about AM’s maturity; many nonetheless see the know-how as experimental. To shift this view, SWISSto12 has labored intently with satellite tv for pc makers and helped form requirements like these of the ECSS.
As Billod warns, the largest misunderstanding is considering that 3D printing is an easy, plug-and-play resolution.
“With out early design integration, many advantages are misplaced. At SWISSto12, we emphasize a co-design method with prospects to unlock the total potential of AM,” he says.
3D printed area payloads, antennas and RF parts.
The Highway Forward
Billod factors to 3 massive traits: deeper integration of electronics and RF, the rise of multifunctional components, and on-demand manufacturing at scale.
“SWISSto12 is actively constructing the infrastructure, each in know-how and expertise, to guide this shift. Our increasing capabilities, deep requirements involvement, and improvements in floor and area terminals all place us as a key participant shaping the way forward for additive manufacturing within the area {industry},” he says.
Within the fast-moving world of area tech, SWISSto12’s method is pragmatic however bold. The corporate is not only printing components, however making an attempt to reshape how satellites are made, personalized, and delivered. Because the area financial system grows extra dynamic, SWISSto12’s mixture of precision, flexibility, and velocity might effectively set a brand new commonplace.
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