Session
2025 Session 6
Location
Brigham Young University Engineering Building, Provo, UT
Start Date
5-5-2025 10:50 AM
Description
As space missions increase, relying on Earth-based supply chains for spacecraft components becomes increasingly unsustainable. In-Space Manufacturing (ISM) offers an alternative, yet many fabrication methods depend on gravity, utilize hazardous materials, require large amounts of energy, or introduce thermal challenges in spacecraft environments. Sheet materials show strong potential for ISM because they store and transport efficiently, offer functionalization options, and provide robust in-plane properties. However, most sheet-based manufacturing techniques require bulky equipment ill-suited for on-orbit deployment. Sheet Lamination (ShL), an underutilized additive manufacturing process that bonds and cuts thin sheets to create near-net-shape parts, presents a compact and scalable alternative, although its viability remains underexplored.
At the same time, heat management poses a major challenge in spacecraft environments, particularly as manufacturing processes themselves can generate thermal loads that must be controlled. Louvres are a common approach to regulating spacecraft heat, but they can be heavy and mechanically complex. While compliant louvres offer lightweight, single-assembly designs, gaps in fabrication methods and kinematic reliability have hindered widespread adoption, underscoring the need for manufacturing solutions compatible with on-orbit conditions.
This work validates the potential of ShL to produce varied mechanisms by focusing on flexible, single-piece compliant louvres as a case study. We show that ShL minimizes material waste, requires little storage, and preserves radiative insulation performance—key factors for both terrestrial and in-space applications. The findings underscore ShL's broader utility in addressing the dual challenges of efficient manufacturing and effective thermal control, paving the way for deployable and shape-changing structures in future space missions.
Scalable Compliant Louvres Manufactured via Sheet Lamination
Brigham Young University Engineering Building, Provo, UT
As space missions increase, relying on Earth-based supply chains for spacecraft components becomes increasingly unsustainable. In-Space Manufacturing (ISM) offers an alternative, yet many fabrication methods depend on gravity, utilize hazardous materials, require large amounts of energy, or introduce thermal challenges in spacecraft environments. Sheet materials show strong potential for ISM because they store and transport efficiently, offer functionalization options, and provide robust in-plane properties. However, most sheet-based manufacturing techniques require bulky equipment ill-suited for on-orbit deployment. Sheet Lamination (ShL), an underutilized additive manufacturing process that bonds and cuts thin sheets to create near-net-shape parts, presents a compact and scalable alternative, although its viability remains underexplored.
At the same time, heat management poses a major challenge in spacecraft environments, particularly as manufacturing processes themselves can generate thermal loads that must be controlled. Louvres are a common approach to regulating spacecraft heat, but they can be heavy and mechanically complex. While compliant louvres offer lightweight, single-assembly designs, gaps in fabrication methods and kinematic reliability have hindered widespread adoption, underscoring the need for manufacturing solutions compatible with on-orbit conditions.
This work validates the potential of ShL to produce varied mechanisms by focusing on flexible, single-piece compliant louvres as a case study. We show that ShL minimizes material waste, requires little storage, and preserves radiative insulation performance—key factors for both terrestrial and in-space applications. The findings underscore ShL's broader utility in addressing the dual challenges of efficient manufacturing and effective thermal control, paving the way for deployable and shape-changing structures in future space missions.