Aidro highlights sustainability and Additive Manufacturing in ATILIUS project
The ATILIUS project (Additive Technologies for Innovative Low-thrust Iodine space Unit from Scrap) is an EU-funded project being undertaken by Italy’s Aidro Srl, a Desktop Metal subsidiary based in Taino, along with T4i Technology for Propulsion and Innovation SpA in Padova and Optimad Srl in Torino.
The project aims to enhance the operation efficiency, additive manufacturability, and sustainability of the REGULUS-50-I2’s fluidic subsystem – a thruster designed for small satellites and CubeSats.
The REGULUS-50-I2 is a plasma thruster that uses iodine as propellant. Iodine is a chemically reactive element that tends to corrode several commonly used materials, explains Aidro. For this reason, the material chosen for the fluidic subsystem has to be carefully evaluated.
The heat exchange and the evaporation of the solid iodine will be analysed, modelled, and deeply studied with a dedicated numerical tool that will be developed during the ATILIUS project in order to enhance the efficiency of the fluidic subsystem. This numerical tool can be applied to different processes that involve phase-changing materials to increase efficiency.
In order to decrease the environmental impact relating to the manufacturing of the ATILIUS, the powders used for Additive Manufacturing will be sourced from scrap material. By doing so, the cost of the system should decrease, as well as the environmental impact of the finished product. The use of this recycling-orientated approach will ensure the circularity of the manufacturing process, and will be monitored and measured throughout the entire project.
Aidro believes that the design and manufacturing processes resulting from this project may also establish guidelines and good practices for the manufacturing of space-qualified components.
