Additive manufacturing of lunar regolith structures

Abstract

The key to any presence in space being sustainable is the ability to manufacture the necessary structures and spares in situ and on-demand, in order to avoid the cost, volume, and up-mass constraints that would prohibit a successful launch with everything needed for long-duration and long-distance missions from Earth. In terms of meeting the demand for parts with highly complex geometries and high accuracy, ceramic stereolithography is a revolutionary manufacturing technology, with oxide ceramics being widely studied due to their low levels of light absorption and scattering. This article investigates the feasibility of producing parts from lunar regolith simulant using a vat polymerization (VP) technique called lithography-based ceramic manufacturing (LCM). The conducted analyses include determining the rheological behavior of the suspension and the thermogravimetric characterization of printed green parts, as well as examining the mechanical, structural and microstructural properties through compression tests, computed tomography and SEM of sintered regolith samples.

Keywords

• Stereolithography
• Vat polymerization
• Lithography-based ceramic manufacturing
• Photopolymerisation
• In situ resource utilization
• Lunar regolith simulant