Method of fabricating space satellite tank components utilizing additive manufacturing and spin forming

Abstract

A thin wall spinformed metallic tank shell includes a first region with a first thickness and at least one second region with a second thickness greater than the first thickness including structural features formed by an additive manufacturing process, where the features are added outside and inside of the metallic tank shell and can include: polar bosses added to one or both external polar regions of a spherical section of the tank; mounting tabs on a circumferential skirt of the tank; mounting rings containing threaded holes attached to the interior or exterior surface of the tank; mounting trunnions attached to the external surface of the tank; propellant management devices attached to the interior surface of the tank; structural reinforcement vanes and ribs attached to the inside surface of the tank; and brackets and/or shelves attached to the inside surface of the tank.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.