Continuous Manufacturing of Rollable and Deformable Elements for Space (COMRADES)

This project aims to develop a new continuous manufacturing method for large thin-shell lightweight composite structures that have the ability to be deformed (rolled, folded, pinched, etc.) to achieve a compact state for efficient storage. The continuous fabrication method requires a series of technological breakthroughs in material and fabrication and joining processes. The raw composite material under development is a new thin-ply carbon fiber fabric impregnated with high-performance thermoplastic material delivered in a unidirectional and plain weave fabric form. This prepreg material is less than 0.0025" thick and needs to be processed at temperatures above 700 deg F, well beyond the usual requirement of traditional thermoset composites. The continuous manufacturing method to be explored is continuous compression molding (CCM) that enables a fixed profile thermoplastic composite part to be fabricated continuously. This niche high-rate production process will be adapted to a roll-to-roll process (composite prepreg to final rolled part) with laminates of very low thicknesses and final parts of unprecedented lengths. The CCM-fabricated parts will consist of thin-shell booms, curved shells and corrugated panels that have the ability to roll. A second continuous method will be developed to produce more complex geometric structures from the previous CCM-fabricated parts. This involves a continuous welding/joining method using new reversible bonding agents compatible with space conditions and an assembler mechanism. The ultimate goal is to develop a fabrication process that can be efficiently repeated outside of Earth either by launching CCM-fabricated rolled parts to be unrolled and joined in space or by delivering thin-ply thermoplastic composite prepreg to be processed and welded in situ.

The ever-growing need for larger structures that can be delivered to space or a planetary surface in a mass and volume efficient manner drives the need for advanced manufacturing methods. This task will fund several smaller interrelated efforts aimed at producing a promising continuous manufacturing method for rollable and deformation composite elements for space applications to remove the fabrication length restriction currently established by the size and cost of autoclaves or composite curing ovens and molds/tooling. The first set of tasks are aimed at producing a new thin-ply thermoplastic-carbon fiber composite material and using it to fabricate a series of structural members (booms, curved shells, and corrugated panels) needed for advanced structural concepts under development by other STMD projects at a length scale previously not achievable under existing fabrication methods. The second set of tasks are aimed at developing, evaluating and characterizing a continuous welding/joining method that enables the production of complex geometry structures on Earth with traceability to a future in-space manufacturing version using the aforementioned rollable and deformable structural members.

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.