Printed Part to Launch on Lockheed Military Satellite

Lockheed Martin has been doggedly working on a number of 3D-printed part initiatives for its satellite business. Its redesigned A2100 satellite design includes 10% 3D printed parts, for example, and it is working on new 3D printed fuel tanks to reduce weight an increase space on its satellites. Now it has created a 3D printed remote interface unit (an aluminum electronic enclosure that holds avionic circuits) that will be the first 3D-printed part certified for use on a Lockheed Military satellite.

The remote interface unit will be part of the U.S. Air Force’s Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF-6) satellite.

Previously, the part was created from using multiple machined parts. By switching to a single printed assembly, the company saved time during the design and production process and increased the quality of the part. According to the company, lead time for manufacturing the part went from six months to 1.5 months, and assembly time was cut from 12 to three hours.

Lockheed used a laser powder bed fusion process to manufacture the part out of aluminum. According to a press release, the enclosure will serve “as a model for use on other programs that are designed using the A2100 satellite bus.”

"3D printing provides the ability to rapidly implement innovation by controlling production from design through implementation with one digital model," said Iris Bombelyn, vice president of Protected Communications at Lockheed Martin Space Systems. "By providing affordable, innovative solutions for our customers with a reduced timeline, we are able to adjust to the rapidly changing environment of military space."

Lockheed is scheduled to deliver the forth AEHF satellite in 2017. The AEHF-5 and AEHF-6 are in production and will launch in 2018 and 2019. The satellites are part of a system that provides secure communication for strategic commanders and war fighters.

Lockheed also provided the first 3D-printed parts — a set of waveguide brackets — to fly on an interplanetary spacecraft (the Juno), and a part for the Orion multi-purpose crew vehicle for NASA.

Source: Lockheed Martin