Manufacturing sensors using celestial body regolith
AssigneeUniversity of Central Florida Research Foundation, Inc.
InventorsPerla Latorre, Seetha Raghavan, Quentin Fouliard
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Abstract
A method can include additively manufacturing a sensor structure using a regolith of a celestial body. A sensor can be formed of additively manufactured celestial body regolith. A system for additively manufacturing sensors from celestial body regolith can include a spectrometer configured to receive and analyze regolith to produce regolith data, and an additive manufacturing machine associated with the spectrometer to receive the regolith data and to manufacture a sensor based on the regolith data to perform a predetermined sensor function.
Claims7
A method, comprising additively manufacturing a sensor structure using a regolith of a celestial body, the method comprising:
- generating a printing material, comprising:
- introducing an amount of UV resin into a container;
- introducing an amount of regolith or regolith simulant into the container;
- mixing the UV resin and regolith within the container forming a mixture;
- and
- defoaming the mixture, wherein the mixture includes 1 vol %, 5 vol %, or 20 vol % of regolith and wherein a particle size range was 0.04 μm-300 μm;
- and
- introducing the printing material into a digital light processing (DLP) printer;
- and
- printing the test structure using the DLP printer, wherein a layer height is 0.05 mm, an exposure time for a first layer 65 seconds and an exposure time for each subsequent later after the first layer is 55 seconds.
A method of forming a test structure, comprising:
- forming a printing material, comprising:
- placing a THINKY™ cup on a mass balance;
- adding 38.5 g of Zyltech™ uv resin into the THINKY™ cup, recording the actual mass of Zyltech™ resin;
- adding an predetermined amount of regolith simulant into the THINKY™ cup forming a resin-regolith mixture so that the regolith is 1 vol %, 5 vol %, or 20 vol % of the resin-regolith mixture, recording an actual mass of alumina in the resin-regolith mixture;
- removing the THINKY™ cup from the mass balance, placing the THINKY™ cup in a THINKY™ adapter, measuring a total mass;
- and recording the total mass;
- placing the THINKY™ adapter into a THINKY™ mixer and adjusting a mixing setting of the THINKY™ mixer to correspond to the total mass;
- selecting a mix function on the THINKY™ mixer and operating the THINKY™ mixer for three minutes to mix the resin-regoliths mixture;
- selecting a defoam function on the THINKY™ mixer and operating the THINKY™ mixer for three minutes to defoam the mixture;
- removing the THINKY™ adapter from the THINKY™ mixer and removing the THINKY™ cup from the THINKY™ adapter,
- wherein a mean particle size for the regolith particles in the resin-regolith mixture and a particle size range for the regolith particles in the resin-regolith mixture is determined as a function of the vol % of regolith in the resin-regolith mixture, wherein:
- for a 20 vol % regolith a mean particle size of the regolith particles is 50 μm and a particle size range for the regolith particles is 0.04 μm-300 μm
- for a 1 vol % and a 5 vol % mixtures, a mean particle size of the regolith particles is 7 μm and a particle size range for the regolith particles is about <0.04-30 μm;
- and
- printing the test structure, comprising:
- introducing the printing material into a digital light processing (DLP) printer;
- and
- printing the test structure using the DLP printer, wherein a layer height is 0.05 mm, an exposure time for a first layer 65 seconds and an exposure time for each subsequent later after the first layer is 55 seconds.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.