AM institute Canada Makes, Laser specialist FusiA and communications company MacDonald Dettwiler and Associates (MDA) have formed a partnership to 3D print parts to be launched into to space later in 2017.
The parts are spacecraft interface brackets for an antenna and have been optimised for a flight project.
‘We are accelerating our adoption of additive manufacturing for space,’ says Joanna Boshouwers, MDA’s vice president and general manager. ‘The FusiA built part shown will be tested structurally in order to qualify the rest of the batch to fly in space.’
‘Canada Makes primary goal is to reinforce Canada’s additive manufacturing supply chain and this project is a big step in that direction,’ said Frank Defalco, manager at Canada Makes.
This story uses material from Canada Makes,with editorial changes made by Materials Today. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent those of Elsevier.
