2026-07-22T21:03:54Z https://drops.dagstuhl.de/oai

oai:drops-oai.dagstuhl.de:24009 2025-12-12T15:06:53Z ddc:004 open_access

Multi-Axis, Multi-Material Additive Fabrication of Multi-Layer Conformal SMD Circuitry to Support In-Space Mission Resilience Revenga Riesco, Ivan Lampret, Borut Myant, Connor Boyle, David Space Digital Fabrication Additive Manufactured Electronics Systems 3D printed electronics In-space manufacturing This work presents the development and evaluation of multi-material, multi-axis Material Extrusion (MEX) additive manufacturing combined with electroplating for the fabrication of complex conformal circuitry. The proposed approach enables the direct printing of functional electronics onto conformal surfaces, while offering a lower-cost and lower-complexity alternative to conventional PCB manufacturing and other in-space electronics fabrication methods. A key contribution of this work is the introduction of small multi-material bridges as a lightweight and scalable solution to miniaturisation challenges in 3D-printed electronics. The printed circuits' physical dimensions were analysed and compared among samples, and their electrical performance was benchmarked against traditional FR4 PCBs. Lastly, the role of such a system is evaluated in the context of a space exploration mission. While the printed circuits exhibited increased noise and reduced reliability, they successfully demonstrated the ability to regulate and deliver current. The results highlight the potential of MEX-based additive manufacturing as a potential lower-cost alternative technique to proposed in-space additive electronics manufacturing processes. Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik Ivan Revenga Riesco and Borut Lampret and Connor Myant and David Boyle 2025 Is Part Of OASIcs, Volume 130, Advancing Human-Computer Interaction for Space Exploration (SpaceCHI 2025) InProceedings Text doc-type:ResearchArticle publishedVersion application/pdf doi:10.4230/OASIcs.SpaceCHI.2025.19 urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-240093 https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/OASIcs.SpaceCHI.2025.19 eng https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode