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Completed TRL 3 (started at 2, targeting 3)
Over the course of human history, our progress has been measured by our ability to make tools and devices. As a species, we have progressed through the stone and bronze age all the way to the information age dominated by our ability to ever more finely control silicon manufacturing processes. As NASA aims to build a more sustainable lunar presence and commercialize Low Earth Orbit (LEO), manufacturing will inevitably be required. In-Space Manufacturing (ISM) On-Demand Manufacturing of Metals (ODMM) Project) is developing manufacturing technologies focused on grade 5 titanium. This CIF proposal aims to develop and test an aluminum paste or filament feedstock for use in bound metal deposition processes compatible with the hardware being developed by the ISM ODMM project. While several challenges exist for processing aluminum alloys, such as a tenacious oxide layer and the small temperature range between debinding and sintering temperatures, they are the most frequently used materials system for space applications and is one of the most abundant metals available within lunar regolith for extraction. Furthermore, a complementary CIF by the Trash-to-Gas project at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) is planning to produce aluminum powder from waste food containers and provide the powder to Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) for potential testing as a feedstock. This effort aims to deliver an aluminum feedstock which can be used within the FabLab system along with thermal debinding and sintering profiles.
Objective: Develop and test an aluminum feedstock for the FabLab Bound Metals Deposition (BMD) system capable of achieving 94% density. Need: Current on-demand manufacturing development efforts are aimed at Ti64 feedstocks. While many parts may be made using titanium, aluminum alloys represent the bulk of components for space applications. Additionally, aluminum is one of the primary metallic elements that could potentially be extracted from lunar regolith and is a byproduct of trash processing. Thus, it is vital that in-space manufacturing systems are capable of utilizing aluminum feedstocks. Gaps Addressed: 1. HEOMD 3061 Inability to fabricate spare parts, replacement units, specialty tools in situ (on-demand manufacturing) 2. HEOMD 3065: High performance materials tailored for in-space applications. 3. STMD-OSAM-005-Inability to fabricate spare parts, replacement units, specialty tools in situ (on-demand manufacturing). 4. STMD-OSAM-015-Inability to repurpose materials
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