18-2- H7.02-7912

 80NSSC18P1989

 In-situ monitoring and development of in-process quality control for in-space manufacturing (ISM) applications

 Automated In-Process Quality Control of Recycled Filament Production and FDM Printers

Estimated Technology Readiness Level (TRL) :
Begin: 3
End: 5

Technical Abstract (Limit 2000 characters, approximately 200 words)

Cornerstone Research Group Inc.’s (CRG) demonstrated expertise in polymer AM materials development, systems engineering, and feedstock recycling for ISRU offers NASA the opportunity to obtain AM process monitoring and control systems for online quality control of feedstock production and printed parts. CRG’s proposed approach applies sensors, hardware, and software algorithms to monitor and adjust feedstock production AND printing processes in real time as well as certify feedstock and print quality. Hardware and software developed on this program by CRG will be integrated into future platforms initially targeting the ERASMUS Recycler sub-module already under development to support NASA’s ISM. Integration of CRG’s in-situ automated quality control technology into a duplicate of the ERASMUS Recycler submodule will occur during this Phase II effort.

Potential NASA Applications (Limit 1500 characters, approximately 150 words)

• Improvements to the ERASMUS multi-material recycle/ printer system as well as future systems such as FabLab
• In-situ print and filament quality monitoring
• Volumetric consolidation of ISS waste plastics
• Recycling ISS waste plastics into 3D printable filament
• Reduce payload needs for AM fabrication in-space
• 3D printers with improved layer-to-layer adhesion

Potential Non-NASA Applications (Limit 1500 characters, approximately 150 words)

• Novel 3D printing feedstock materials
• Improved consumer-level FDM feedstock production
• In-situ filament fabrication monitoring and corrective feedback add-on
• In-situ print quality monitoring
• 3D printers with improved layer-to-layer adhesion

Duration: