Recent advancements in space technology have seen the creation of electromagnetic coils through 3D printing in pure copper. These innovations allow for the precise production of magnetic field shapes essential for space missions. This development is a result of one of the numerous research contracts supported by the European Space Agency’s General Support Technology Programme .
A selection of copper coils created by additive manufacturing techniques. These benchmark geometries were produced by L-PBF with green laser source. The activity successfully demonstrated how the electrical conductivity of pure copper can now be combined with the design freedom of additive manufacturing – both are important factors in the performance of electromagnetic coils – and enable the production of coils with complex shapes to generate dedicated magnetic field shapes.
Electromagnetic coils, a product of these research endeavors, play a critical role in electric motors, magnetic bearings, and magnetorquers used for satellite attitude control. A project led by Zarm Technik in Germany, under the GSTP, has successfully developed an end-to-end process for producing these coils using laser powder bed fusion 3D printing technology.
Inaugurated on May 13, 1993, the GSTP was originally an integral part of ESA’s long-term plan to make sure the Agency kept ahead of technologies it might need. GSTP aims to work with industry, academia, and Participating States to predict what those technologies might be or to see if current innovative technologies used on Earth can be adapted for use in Space. In the programme’s lifetime over 2000 contracts have been awarded to do just that.