Title: In-Situ Consolidation Thermoplastic Process Development for Toolless Automated Fiber Placement Manufacturing in Space

Authors: Waruna P. Seneviratne, Josh Goertz, Ethan McDaniel, Gauge Carmichael

DOI: 10.33599/nasampe/s.24.0209

Abstract: To meet NASA and space industries ambitious goals of deep space exploration and planetary habitation for enabling human presence beyond Earth, a paradigm shift in manufacturing and assembly of structures is required. Prefabricated structures built for space applications are significantly over-designed to withstand aggressive lift-off and transient loads during launch. Since the infrastructure required to achieve these objectives are constrained by the launch vehicle size and mission cost, it is imperative to develop the technologies required to manufacture and assemble large space-based platforms and habitats in space or on-site to be independent of Earth-based resources and logistics. To unleash the power of automation, an advanced dual-robotic automated fiber placement system that works in tandem to become a toolless manufacturing process was developed to fabricate advanced thermoplastic composite structures in space. With this highly adaptable automated toolless manufacturing (AToM) technology for thermoplastics, robot movements are coordinated to produce three dimensional composite parts out-of-autoclave. This is analogous to additive manufacturing with the added enhancement of continuous fibers in three-dimensional space for structural applications. This approach has several benefits; it would use a minimal number of resources and tooling, mitigate multiple launch requirements for large structures, revolutionize Earth-based manufacturing of aerospace structures, and it would not restrict the size, weight, or complexity of required structures. Since this is a construction-based technology, it spans across the energy, transportation, and shipping sectors. This technology is forecast to have a vast domain of development partners confirming its economical sustainability. It could be energy efficient, portable, and redeployable in orbit, to an asteroid, or to a planet. Since this technology does not require part-specific tooling and can accommodate large complex geometries, the construction is recyclable, repurposable, generates minimal scrap with high material yield, and enables performing structural repair or rework in space.

References: 1.Clinton, R. G., “Don’t Take It – Make It: NASA’s Manufacturing, Construction, and Outfitting Initiatives for a Sustainable Presence on the Moon and Beyond to Mars,” Humans to Mars Summit, Washington DC, 2022. 2.Seneviratne, W., Tomblin, J., and Palliyaguru, U., “Machine-Learning for Automated Fiber Placement for manufacturing Efficiency and Process Optimization,” Society for the Advancement of Material and Process Engineering (SAMPE), May 2021. 3.de Gennes, P. G. (1971). “Reptation of a Polymer Chain in the Presence of Fixed Obstacles”. Journal of Chemical Physics, 55(2), 572-579. 4.Sharp, R., Holmes, S., & Wodall, C. (1995). “Material Selection/Fabrication Issues for Thermoplastic Fiber Placement”. Journal of Thermoplastic Composite Materials, 8(1), 1-14. 5.Seneviratne, W., Tomblin, J., and Schmitz, I., “Process Optimization for In-Situ Consolidation of Thermoplastic Structures with Fiber Steering Using Various Heating Methods and Tooling Concepts”. Society for the Advancement of Material and Process Engineering (SAMPE), 2021.

Conference: SAMPE 2024

Publication Date: 2024/05/20

SKU: TP24-0000000209

Pages: 16

Price: $32.00