US Air Force Optimizes CubeSat using Architected Materials
公司规模
Large Corporate
地区
- America
国家
- United States
产品
- nTopology
技术栈
- Additive Manufacturing
- Implicit Modeling Technology
- Engineering Simulation
实施规模
- Enterprise-wide Deployment
影响指标
- Cost Savings
- Productivity Improvements
- Innovation Output
技术
- 其他 - 添加剂制造
- 分析与建模 - 数字孪生/模拟
- 分析与建模 - Generative AI
适用行业
- 航天
适用功能
- 产品研发
- 质量保证
用例
- 快速原型制作
- 自动化制造系统
- 数字孪生
服务
- 软件设计与工程服务
- 系统集成
关于客户
The U.S. Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) is a premier institution that provides advanced education and research opportunities to military and civilian personnel. AFIT focuses on leveraging cutting-edge technologies to solve complex engineering challenges. In this case, AFIT aimed to optimize the CubeSat bus, a small and relatively inexpensive satellite used for research and communications by government and private agencies. CubeSats enable the concept of ridesharing, allowing multiple satellites to be launched on a single structural chassis, thereby reducing the high cost of sending a payload into orbit.
挑战
The U.S. Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) faced the challenge of reducing the weight and production time of a CubeSat bus, which traditionally required machining of nearly 150 parts. The conventional design demanded tight tolerances and close quality control, creating 150 potential points of failure. The goal was to develop a structure that fulfills all design requirements and can be manufactured using a repeatable process.
解决方案
AFIT used nTopology's software to leverage architected materials, developing a CubeSat bus assembly from Inconel 718 that was 50% lighter and 20% stiffer than the original aluminum assembly. The R&D team explored multiple thin-walled TMPS and strut-based lattice structures, assessing their performance using engineering simulation. After several iterations, they identified a design with a superior stiffness-to-weight ratio and a lower coefficient of thermal expansion. Using nTopology’s direct-to-manufacture capabilities, the team bypassed the need to generate STL files, creating slices and tool paths directly in the design software. A 3D printed and finished CubeSat was ready for testing in only 3.5 business days. The structural bus was then evaluated and certified according to the NASA GEVS launch profile methodology.
运营影响
数量效益
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