INTAMSYS Use of PEEK to Produce Mini-Satellites

From the pioneering days of space exploration to today's advancements in aerospace technology, the journey to the stars has evolved dramatically. This evolution is driven not only by giant leaps in spacecraft technology, such as the SpaceX Dragon's successful docking with the ISS, but also by the rapid growth of commercial aerospace ventures exploring low-Earth orbit and deep space.

Traditionally, satellites have been monumental endeavors, requiring extensive resources and intricate manufacturing processes. However, the advent of CubeSats is revolutionizing this paradigm. These compact satellites are cost-effective, efficient, and easier to deploy, making them ideal for a variety of missions including space observation and atmospheric research.

A Chinese aerospace institute leveraged the INTAMSYS FUNMAT PRO 410, a cutting-edge dual-nozzle 3D printer capable of using high-performance materials like PEEK. This technology breakthrough has accelerated CubeSat development, offering researchers unprecedented creative freedom and significantly reducing production costs and timelines.

Researchers attest to the FUNMAT PRO 410's capability to print robust structures with PEEK, ensuring durability and reliability in space environments. By eliminating the need for traditional mold-based fabrication, 3D printing not only accelerates research and development but also optimizes structural design iterations crucial for space missions.

The INTAMSYS 3D printing technology not only gives researchers more creative freedom, but also saves a lot of human and material costs for the research institution. In the past, Cube satellite frames were usually built by the traditional sheet metal processing technology, which requires molds, and as we all know molds can be extremely costly. It would usually take several weeks or sometimes even months to have the piece ready. For research institutes and their R&D and small batch production needs, the cost was too high and the waiting time too long. The traditional production method can seriously drags down the progress of scientific research. The advantages 3D printing offers are clearly more in line with the needs of such customers. Users do not need to build the mold, they can directly use the 3D printing equipment to print immediately after designing the file, which saves a lot of time and cost, and accelerates the process of structural design optimization and product iteration.

The exploration of the 3D printing technology in aerospace, such as with this CubeSat research, will inevitably lead to more “made in space” research in the space environment (weightlessness and vacuum environment).