Space Technology Special Report - Version B. July 2023 - 24

APPLICATION BRIEFS
The goal was to shrink a full UAM
system to reduce overall system
weight and power usage. Fabrisonic
answered through the PH II program.
Fabrisonic designed and built
a small-scale UAM system that
would accommodate the geometric
constraints of current ISS project
lockers and reduced the welding
power requirements to under 1kW.
To minimize cost and proving-out the
space and energy savings, Fabrisonic
built a demonstration platform. While
the in-flight system did not have the
accuracy or speed of a Fabrisonic
industrial (terrestrial) system, it allowed
the team to address the challenges of
NASA. As a result, a new low-cost system
was realized that would support many
customers' 3D printing needs that did not
require the higher power and accuracy
of the original (industrial) design.
As the Phase II program progressed,
several customers were able to see the
new small-scale 3D printer and expressed
an interest in the ability to work with
UAM in a smaller form factor and lower
cost. After receiving such a high degree
of interest, Fabrisonic directed its efforts
toward developing this new design.
Fabrisonic modified the NASA SBIR
system to include required safety and
human-interface upgrades that would
allow any knowledgeable CNC operator
to run the new 3D printer. This became
the newest model in the Fabrisonic
lineup, the SonicLayer 1200. As a hybrid
manufacturing center, the UAM system
combines traditional CNC milling with
integrated UAM printing capability. This
creates a hybrid additive-subtractive
process, where swapping from additive
to subtractive is as easy as a tool change.
This article was written by Mark
Norfolk, CEO, Fabrisonic (Columbus,
OH). For more information, visit
www.fabrisonic.com.
Inflatable Space Habitats Use Sensors Embedded in Webbing
for Structural Health Monitoring
Bally Ribbon Mills
Bally, PA
www.ballyribbon.com
Luna Innovations, Inc.
Ronaoke, VA
www.lunainc.com
F
uture human space exploration
requires a safe living environment
for astronauts. A robust structural
health monitoring (SHM) process is
imperative to ensure equipment safety,
particularly for the inflatable habitat
Woven carriers are critical in applications that experience high strain.
(Image: Bally Ribbon Mills)
24 JULY 2023
structures that are the most costefficient
solution to the astronauts'
living space needs. A novel approach
is moving away from conventional
SHM testing methods in favor of
using sensors embedded in the
flexible structural restraint webbing
layers. The sensors can collect data
on stress, strain, creep, and impacts
of micro meteorites throughout the
inflatable habitat's lifecycle. The
embedded fiber optic sensors were
woven into VECTRAN™ (trademark
of KURARAY CO., LTD) webbing and
later integrated into an
inflatable test article
that was tested at
NASA Johnson Space
Center for potential
use in future inflatable
habitat structures for
NASA Lunar Gateway
and Mars missions.1
In 2007, Bally Ribbon
Mills (BRM) began
working with Luna
Innovations, Inc., an
American developer
and manufacturer
of fiber-optics- and
terahertz-based
technology products
for aerospace. Luna's NASA contact
suggested the partnership to provide
a demonstration sample to show the
capabilities of Luna's technology,
which focuses on integrating highdefinition
fiber optic sensors (HD-FOS)
into a three-dimensional woven carbon
structure used in composites. The
project was undertaken as part of the
Small Business Innovation Research
(SBIR) program, a competitive awardsbased
research and development
program that helps small businesses
explore their technological potential
and provides the incentive to profit
from its commercialization.²
The project aimed to demonstrate
the integration of optical-fiber sensing
technology into composites to monitor
the vacuum-assisted resin transfer
molding (VARTM) process. The team
designed a composite cantilever beam
with 3D carbon fiber reinforcement
that was fabricated with embedded
optical-sensing fibers. BRM wove the
carbon fiber preform with warp, fill,
and Z-axis reinforcing fiber. During
the preform weaving process, BRM
added optical fiber bobbins to the
weaving loom and determined the
necessary processes to integrate fiber
optic strain sensors into the weave.
SPACE TECHNOLOGY SPECIAL REPORT
http://www.fabrisonic.com http://www.ballyribbon.com http://www.lunainc.com
Space Technology Special Report - Version B. July 2023

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