Ultrasonic Additive Manufacturing for Capillary Heat Transfer Devices and Integrated Heat Exchangers

This Phase II development program will utilize a novel new 3D printing process to produce high performance heat exchangers embedded in CubeSat structures with integrated temperature monitoring sensors. The embedded heat exchanger is part of a multifunctional three dimensional CubeSat structure that will simultaneously accommodate thermal and mechanical loads, and offer radiation protection via multi-material laminates. In particular, Ultrasonic Additive Manufacturing will be used to embed complex cooling channels in a three dimensional part. Success in this program enables low cost production of CubeSat structures with both thermal management and structural integrity excellence. These structures can be applied in low earth orbit devices, where thermal management of small satellites is a principal concern, and also in deep space applications, where radiation shielding is a major problem. The results of this enabling work will provide the engineering design and programmatic information necessary for implementation into a number of NASA space programs, including the planned mission to Europa

This is a mature technology (TRL 7+) — the realistic path in is usually NASA's Technology Transfer Program: licensing an existing NASA patent, or a Space Act Agreement to use NASA facilities/expertise directly. NASA also runs a startup licensing program with no upfront fee for companies formed to commercialize a specific NASA technology.

None of these are guaranteed paths for this specific project — TechPort itself doesn't have an "apply" button. Reaching out to the contact(s) above with a specific question is usually the fastest way to find out what's actually open.