Protolabs Answers NASA Generative Design Project Call

In coordination with digital manufacturing leader Protolabs, engineers at NASA recently showcased the power of its artificial intelligence-driven design tool at the PowerSource Global Summit.

During the conference, NASA engineers challenged attendees to provide inputs for generative design to create a prototype apparatus for collecting gas samples released by sunlight hitting the moon as part of NASA’s ongoing Artemis moon exploration missions.

The crowdsourced constraints defined desired traits of the sample collection container like modularity, stack-ability, scalability, and how a person or robot would interact with the device. Simultaneously, the geometries and part qualities identified had to ensure the part was machinable while maintaining strict size requirements.

NASA’s generative design software then produced a CAD file based on those constraints that was ready for machining in Protolabs’ digital factory that evening. The goal was to deliver the part by the conference’s wrap-up two days later.

“For this demonstration to be successful, we knew that any manufacturer we went with [to make the part], needed to deliver the part we ordered on-time, there was no room for error or delay,” says Matthew Vaerewyck, a mechanical engineer at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD. Protolabs was positioned to achieve this feat for NASA, as a capable digital manufacturer, Protolabs reports.

Vaerewyck uploaded the part’s CAD file to Protolabs’ digital quoting platform. The organic design went through 19 hours of toolpathing at Protolabs’ CNC machining facility. The part was then shipped from Minnesota to the conference in Florida, arriving before the final day’s activities began, less than 36 hours after the order was placed.

The first-of-its-kind experiment was deemed successful. NASA demonstrated how generative design can cut down on iterations and reduce development time while also creating parts that meet stringent spaceflight constraints. Protolabs, enabled by its quick-turn digital manufacturing capabilities, served as a partner, bringing the part to life for conference attendees to see, according to the company.

“We couldn’t have been more excited to serve as the manufacturing partner in this novel exercise showcasing the impact of combining generative design with automated manufacturing,” says Greg Thompson, senior director of CNC machining at Protolabs.

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Sources: Press materials received from the company and additional information gleaned from the company’s website.