WO2025079055A1

WO2025079055A1 - Solar energy-based 3d printing platform for the construction of extraterrestrial habitats

Info

Publication number: WO2025079055A1
Application number: PCT/IB2024/060887
Authority: WO
Inventors: Ehsan MARZBAN SHIRKHARKOLAEI; Amin HODAEI
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2024-11-04
Filing date: 2024-11-04
Publication date: 2025-04-17
Anticipated expiration: 2027-05-04

Abstract

The present invention is dedicated to a 3D printing system based on solar energy for the construction of extraterrestrial habitats. This system uses 3D printing technology as an innovative way to build structures in extraterrestrial environments, such as the moon and Mars. By utilizing the local resources such as the soil from the moon or Mars and solar energy, this system reduces the need to supply energy and raw materials from the Earth. This system utilizes mobile and stationary components, including solar energy collection nodes equipped with parabolic mirrors and Fresnel lenses that focus the sunlight onto a printing system. The mobile 3D printer, mounted on a multi-functional towing robot, utilizes a high-energy beam of concentrated solar light to sinter or melt the local soil to construct different structures. Behind that there is a stationary solar energy-based 3D printer to print the components or parts on the build platform. This system is designed to operate efficiently in extraterrestrial environments, utilizing in-situ resources to produce walls, protective structures, and other structural elements necessary for human habitation in extraterrestrial settings by sintering or melting the soil, metallic, polymeric, and composite powders. The benefits of this invention include reduced transportation and manufacturing costs and time by on-site resource utilization, and the possibility of realizing complex structural designs to construct habitats and other functional components. This technology can be used as a promising platform in extraterrestrial projects and scientific research for large-scale extraterrestrial habitation.

Description

Solar Energy-Based 3D Printing Platform for the Construction of Extraterrestrial Habitats

This invention is related to the field of construction 3D printing or 3D construction printing and refers to various technologies that use 3D printing as a core method to fabricate habitats or construction components, and this invention is used for extraterrestrial construction such as Lunar and Martian habitats.

C onstruction 3 D P rinting T echnologies:

3D printing technologies for construction have revolutionized the industry by offering innovative solutions that enhance efficiency, reduce waste, and enable complex architectural designs. These technologies leverage additive manufacturing principles to construct buildings and structures, providing significant advantages over traditional methods.

Key 3D Printing Technologies in Construction:

Extrusion-Based Techniques

Extrusion-based construction 3D printing is a prominent method where material is deposited layer by layer to form structures without the need for formworks. This technique is highly automated, using robots and computer control to minimize human labor and reduce construction time and costs [1, 2].

Contour Crafting, developed by Behrokh Khoshnevis, is a significant milestone in extrusion-based 3D printing. It allows for the rapid construction of large-scale structures by extruding concrete or other building materials in a precise manner .

Automated Production of Construction Mixture: The development of high-performance construction mixtures is crucial for extrusion-based 3D printing. These mixture must meet specific requirements for strength, fluidity, setting speed, and automated systems for batching and mixing ingredients, to enhance precision and efficiency .

3D Printing Technolog ies for Extraterrestrial Construction s

The concept of using 3D printing technology to construct habitats for extraterrestrial residents, powered by solar thermal lenses, is an innovative approach that combines advanced manufacturing techniques with sustainable energy solutions. This method leverages in-situ resources and solar energy to create habitable structures on the Moon and mars, addressing both logistical and environmental challenges of extraterrestrial construction.

The Freeform Additive Construction System utilizes the ATHLETE robotic mobility system to precisely position print heads for 3D printing large-scale structures on the Moon. This system can create various structural elements such as walls, domes, and radiation shielding using in-situ materials like Lunar regolith .

The development of regolith-based blocks and other construction structures and technologies at the Marshall Space Flight Center at NASA highlights the potential of using local materials to reduce the need for transporting building materials from Earth. This includes the use of extruded concrete technologies [6, 7].

Sintering-based additive manufacturing techniques are particularly suited for the extraterrestrial environments, allowing for the construction of durable structures using local resources [8, 9].

Solar Thermal Energy Utilization

The Optical Waveguide (OW) Solar Energy System is designed to collect and concentrate solar radiation, transmitting it via optical fibers to a thermal reactor for materials processing. This system can be modularized and easily deployed at extraterrestrial bases, providing a reliable energy source for extra-terrestrial construction and other processes [10].

Solar thermal power systems are being developed to support In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) processes on the Moon, providing the necessary thermal energy for various manufacturing and chemical processes .

The use of solar thermal energy for hot water supply systems at Lunar bases demonstrates the feasibility of maintaining essential life support systems using solar power, even during periods without direct sunlight [12].

Architectural and Structural Considerations

The topological optimization of 3D-printed extraterrestrial shelters, such as Lunar shelters focus on creating designs that address health hazards due to cosmic radiation and also economic sustainability. These designs aim to provide safe and cost-effective habitats for long-term Lunar missions .

Fusion welding of sintered regolith using an optical waveguide solar energy system is proposed for constructing large Lunar structures. This method offers a way to join building components effectively, ensuring structural integrity and radiation protection after construction [14, 15 and 16].

Challenges and Future Directions

While the integration of 3D printing and solar thermal energy presents a promising solution for extraterrestrial constructions, challenges remain in energy storage and management, particularly in the absence of sun exposure .

The sustainable use of extraterrestrial resources and the development of efficient manufacturing processes are critical for the success of long-term extraterrestrial habitation [17,18].

With the development of 3D printing technologies and its expansion in the construction industry, in recent years, various ideas and inventions for the use of 3D printers outside the earth have been presented by researchers and inventors. In the present invention, a 3D printing platform functioning based on solar thermal energy is presented, which is a set of components including solar energy collection stations (auxiliary nodes) to guide the high energy focused beam of sunlight to the central solar energy collection and feeder station (central nodes) and then print location, the mobile 3D printer that is attached to a multi-functional towing robot for printing the structures or parts, the raw material supplier that is attached to a multi-functional towing robot for collecting, sieving and feeding the printer by fine soil, and also a stationary 3D printer to print the tools, parts and construction modules or blocks.

With the increasing desire of human society and researchers to travel and research on other planets, the need to create shelters and habitats on these planets is one of the topics of focus for organizations and researchers in this field. Although, in these years, various methods have been used to create shelters for astronauts, such as fabric or inflatable polymer-based houses or prefabricated houses [19, 20]. But first, the biggest challenge of these methods is the transfer of materials or structures from the earth to the outer space, which is very time-consuming and expensive. Moreover, the second problem is the scarcity of practical solutions and the challenging nature of providing energy supplies for the construction of the structures in the outer space, which is due to the lack of wide access to the energy sources in the outer space. On the other hand, the construction technologies of these structures cannot be transferred to space for reasons such as those mentioned above, and they need to be built on the other planets that are the space travel destinations.

The first problem that needs to be answered is a practical technology for building a structure in space. In this plan, the 3D printing technology of the building, which is also suitable for the need of building a structure on the earth, is a practical solution for the challenge of specialized technical personnel requirement. It is presented as a suitable solution for building a structure in space.

To solve the problem of the energy supply for construction in the outer space of the earth, in this system, a printing mechanism based on the high energy beam of the sun has been presented, which has made this system independent of any external energy supply. Also, in order to solve the problem of the raw material required for the construction of habitats on other planets, through the presented system, the sifted soil of the construction site itself is used. Therefore, the presented system is a completely independent system without the need for input energy and raw material outside the construction site on the desired planet (e.g., Mars) or satellite planet (e.g., Moon). Moreover, due to the small dimensions of the components of this system, after one transfer from the earth to the targeted planet (e.g., Mars) or satellite planet (e.g., Moon), it can be used sustainably to manufacture the structures on site. On the other hand, considering that this system can be used to print metallic, polymeric, and composite parts, it is enough to transfer the desired metallic, polymeric, and composite powders from the earth to make any tools on the desired planet (e.g., Mars) or satellite planet (e.g., Moon) when needed. Moreover, the mirrors and the Fresnel lenses are used in this system, which are generally not expensive and provide a facile manufacturing technology.

Operational and technical description

In this system, there are several mobile auxiliary nodes which can be moved by multi-functional towing robot and set up in the areas around the construction site. Each of which is equipped with a number of open and collapsible parabolic mirrors, Fresnel lenses, collimator and galvanometers, two-degree of freedom rotary stage of the galvanometer, telescopic column and foldable arms of base.

In these stations, the sunlight is directed to the Fresnel lens by a number of parabolic mirrors (directly or by radiate to a convex mirror), the first and second Fresnel lenses focus the sunlight on the surface of another Fresnel lens that plays the role of a collimator and directs the sunlight to the flat mirror and then galvanometer in the form of a high energy aligned beam. The galvanometer is placed on a controllable rotary axis and along with another rotary axis (perpendicular to the first rotating axis). Due to its four degrees of freedom (two degrees of freedom of rotary axes and two degrees of freedom of galvanometer), its output is always towards the collector of central station. Therefore, each auxiliary node directs a high-energy light beam to the central node.

The central node is like the auxiliary node, with the difference that the central station is equipped with two galvanometers. The second galvanometer aligns the two beams received from the first galvanometer (received light beams from auxiliary nodes) and the Fresnel lens (similar to auxiliary nodes) by means of a number of flat mirrors and then directs them to the printer.

The upper part of the mobile 3D printer is a galvanometer that is placed on a rotary mechanism with two degrees of freedom to receive the light beam sent from the central node. With the help of flat mirrors installed in this printer, the light beam is directed towards the print head. The print head consists of one or two Fresnel lens (opt to spot size of focus point) to focus the light beam and a 3D galvanometer to scan the soil or powder surface. In front of this printer, there is a powder or soil container with a controllable output that distributes a layer of powder on surface as the printer moves forward.

A roller coater is placed between this tank and the print head to compress the coated powder layer in addition to making the powder distribution uniform and controlling the thickness of the layer on the surface. There are two blades on both sides to support the distributed powder layer. The mobile 3D printer is attached to the end of the multi-functional towing robot by a sliding attachment mechanism.

This four-wheeled towing robot has a folding arm in each wheel with the driving force of an electro-mechanical actuator, which can turn the wheel from vertical to horizontal position, to fix the robot to both side of the printed wall, and vice versa for movement on floor.

At the base of this robot, there are two rows of conveyor belts with a width that matches the width of the printed wall. When the height of the printed wall reaches the bottom of the robot, the conveyor belts are positioned on the surface of the wall. The robot's four wheels pivot from a vertical to a horizontal orientation through the action of its jacks. By engaging the surface of the wheels with both sides of the wall, the robot is effectively controlled and directed along the surface of the printed wall during the printing process.

In order to provide energy for this robot, in addition to using the solar panels placed on the robot’s body to collect the sunlight energy, the central node can shine to the solar panels to provide higher input energy for solar panel and charging its batteries. Also, it would be helpful when robot is working on shadowed areas. To guide this robot, in addition to local navigation systems such as the local positioning system, a number of distance sensors and a camera have also been used on this robot.

The primary material used in this 3D printing system is the soil of the place where the structure or construction is built, such as the soil of the moon or Mars. In order to use this soil in the printing process, these soils must be finely sieved and then transferred to the printer's powder container. Therefore, the presented system has a raw material supplier that performs soil removal and sieving operations, and then it is transferred to the printer’s powder container with a helical screw.

This raw material supplier that is attachable to multi-functional towing robot by sliding attachment mechanism, equipped to a rotary roller with sharp edges for crushing the soil and collecting them inside the roll. The height of this roller is controllable by to arms and actuator. After the roller is filled with soil, the arms lift it and position it above the powder container. When the roller rotates in reverse, the soil stored inside is discharged into the powder container. This container contains several layers of sieves with varying sizes, ranging from coarse to fine, each layer having a counter slope. These sieves vibrate to sift the soil, and larger soil particles and stones that do not pass through the sieves slide down due to the slope, directing them towards the walls of the container. There are two openings on either side of the container to allow for the discharge of these unusable materials. The sifted soil then moves to the bottom of the container, where it is transported towards the printer's powder chamber using a helical screw mechanism and a transfer pipe.

This solar energy-based printer system, as mentioned earlier, as an attachable tool, can also be installed on a robotic arm with six degrees of freedom and perform printing operations. In addition, this 3D printer system can be used on other positioning mechanisms such as robotic arms and cartesian CNC machines.

Another 3D printing system based on solar energy presented in this invention is a stationary 3D printer that has the ability to produce building blocks with different shapes, such that the printed parts can be locked together like Legos to be used to build the structure. This printer, which can be permanently installed in a workshop space or a place close to the structure, consists of main components such as solar energy supply set, powder tank and print chamber. In the solar energy supply system, the sunlight is guided by a number of curved mirrors to the Fresnel lens, the Fresnel lens focuses the light on the surface of another Fresnel lens. The second Fresnel lens plays the role of a collimator and directs the focused light as a beam of high energy towards a number of flat mirrors. The flat mirrors direct this high-energy light beam to the 3D galvanometer located on top of the print chamber. The 3D galvanometer is also responsible for positioning the light spot on the surface of the build plate.

On the side of this machine, there is a powder tank/container, which the sifted soil is placed inside it, and at the end of it, a grooved roller is installed to feed the powder, and with the rotation of this roller, the powder required for each layer is placed in front of the powder coater. After placing the required powder in front of the coater, this blade-shaped part spreads the powder evenly on the build plate by moving across the table.

After scanning and printing the first layer by focused light beam with a 3D galvanometer, the build plate, which has the ability to move vertically with a ball screw and a guide rail, moves down according to the thickness of the layer. At the end of the printing process, the build table is completely raised so that after emptying the soil around the printed piece, it can be moved to the manufacturing site or warehouse.

In this system, a 3D galvanometer is used, which can control the diameter of the laser spot with the help of a suitable Fresnel lens. Therefore, by the modification of the focus and the diameter of the light spot, it is possible to increase/decrease the energy density of the light spot such that the system is capable of printing different class of materials such as metal and plastics by sintering or melting the related powders.

The printing chamber of this machine does not require a vacuum due to the fact that it is used outside the atmosphere of the earth and is in the vacuum or in an atmosphere composed of a thin gas (e.g., CO₂ on Mars). However, the is a closed area in order to provide better control on the gas flow during the print and to provide an appropriate coating of the powder on the printing spot.

Also, solar energy will be used to provide energy for the movement mechanisms of this machine. Since this machine works on the basis of solar energy utilization, in addition to its electrical control unit, a battery unit is used to store energy to maintain the data storage in the circuits and to move the mechanisms when needed. Also, this battery has the role of a stabilizer for the electrical circuit.

Advantageous Effects of the Invention

Using this patent, the following advantages can be obtained:

Independence from external energy sources: The 3D printing system based on solar energy is designed to operate without the need to supply energy from external sources. This feature is a huge advantage, especially in extraterrestrial environments.

Use of local raw material resources: Using the soil of the construction site (such as the soil of the moon or Mars) as the raw materials significantly reduces transportation costs and enables the sustainable construction of structures on site.

Reduction of construction time and cost: 3D printing technology greatly reduces the construction time and costs due to automation and it also reduces the need for human labor.

The possibility of complex designs: this system can build complex structures with innovative designs that are not possible with traditional methods.

Environmental sustainability: Using solar energy as an energy source helps reduce negative environmental impacts and provides sustainable energy supply for manufacturing processes.

The ability to produce components made up of different classes of materials (e.g., metals and polymers): this system also provides the possibility of printing metallic and plastic parts, which can be useful in making tools and equipment needed in space.

Simplicity in design and manufacturing: The use of Fresnel lenses and mirrors in the system design helps reduce the complexity and manufacturing costs of whole system, which is an important advantage compared to other technologies.

Description of figures are presented below:

Fig.1

illustrates the architecture of the invented product, solar energy-based 3D printing system, that contains:

a. Sun rays

b. Auxiliary node

c. Beam of sun light

d. Central node

e. Beam of sun light

f. Mobile printer

g. Raw material supplier system

h. Printed construction

i. Multi-functional towing robot while moving the collector node

j. Folded node

k. Stationary 3d printer

Fig.2

illustrates the collector node with different collecting parabolic mirrors (A and B) and a section view contains:

a. Sun rays

b. Parabolic mirror

c. Fresnel mirror

d. Second Fresnel mirror

e. Collimator

f. Distributer lens (galvanometer)

g. Output ray to printer

h. Collector lens (galvanometer)

i. Input ray from local nodes

j. Mirror

k. Flexible Joint

l. Foldable holder of mirrors

m. Rotary axis

n. Telescopic column

o. Fix base plate

p. Foldable arms for fixing the node

Fig.3

illustrates the folded auxiliary/central node in different stages. When it is Attached and moving by multi-functional towing robot (a), fixed on floor by foldable arms (b) and opened telescopic column (c).

Fig.4

illustrates the mobile solar base 3D printer, contains:

a. Sun rays

b. Collector lens (galvanometer)

c. Collector positioner

d. Ray director

e. Galvanometer

f. Focusing lens

g. Powder container and distributer

h. Roller coater

i. Side powder fixer/holder

Fig.5

illustrates the stationary solar base 3D printer, with isometric (A) and section views (B), contains:

a. Parabolic mirrors

b. Fresnel lens

c. Fresnel lens

d. Collimator

e. Mirror

f. Galvanometer

g. Building box

h. Printed part

i. Build plate

j. Build plate positioner

k. Powder container

l. Powder feeder roller

m. Powder coater

Fig.6

illustrates the raw material supplier system, on the station of crushing and collecting the soil (A) and emptying the soil in the soil tank on isometric (B) and section views (C), contains:

a. Rotary roller for crushing and gathering soil

b. Height control arms with jacks

c. Soil tank

d. Output gate for none sieved soil

e. Sieves

f. Helical screw

g. Output tube

Fig.7

illustrates the multi-functional towing robot, during the print process (A), with unfolded wheels (B and C) and with folded wheels (D and E), contains:

a. Body

b. Solar panel

c. Wheel

d. Sliding connection mechanism

e. Camera

f. Sensors

g. Sensors

h. Adjustable arms for folding the wheels

i. Conveyor belt

j. Printed wall

The 3D printing system based on solar energy for building space structures has many capabilities in various industrial fields. This technology can be used in the following areas:

Construction in space environments: Due to the independence from external energy sources and the use of local raw materials such as the soils of the moon or Mars, this system can be directly used for the construction of habitats and space infrastructure.

Development of space technologies: This technology can help create tools and equipment needed for space missions, including research equipment and everyday tools for astronauts in space.

Reducing the costs of space missions: By reducing the need to transport materials from Earth and using local resources, the overall costs of space missions will be significantly reduced.

Scientific and engineering research: This system can be used as a research tool in space laboratories to investigate the behavior of the manufactured components made up of different materials in low gravity conditions.

The possibility of developing large-scale projects: the ability to quickly and sustainably produce structures and parts in space makes this technology a promising platform for large-scale projects such as creating permanent bases and infrastructures on the moon or Mars.

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Claims

This invention consists of a solar energy-based 3D printing system for constructing components, equipment, and habitats in outer space and on other planets (e.g., Mars) and satellite planets (e.g., Moon), that includes solar energy collection stations that transfer energy to the designated location (auxiliary and central nodes), a mobile 3D printer, a multi-functional towing robot, a stationary printer, and a raw material supplier system, capable of fabricating various components, including walls, protective structures, building blocks, and tools with the raw materials from the construction location resources.
According to Claim 1, the solar energy collection stations (auxiliary and central nodes) utilize parabolic mirrors with two-degree of freedom joints to body, Fresnel lenses, collimator and galvanometers mounted on two-degree of freedom rotary axes, that provide four degrees of freedom, gather light rays and concentrate them into a narrow beam of high-energy light directed toward the printer.
According to Claims 1 and 2, the solar energy collection stations (auxiliary and central nodes) are equipped with collapsible parabolic mirrors, telescoping columns, foldable support bases, and a sliding attachment mechanism for attaching to a multi-functional towing robot and transfer.
Based on Claim 1, the mobile 3D printer consists of a solar energy-based printing system, a galvanometer mounted on a mechanism with two rotary axes (totally four degrees of freedom) for receiving a beam of light, a print head, a powder container, a control gate for powder output from the container, a roller coater, side control blades of coated powder and a sliding connection mechanism for attachment to the multifunctional towing robot.
According to Claims 1 and 4, the solar energy-based print head comprises of a number of flat mirrors to direct the beam of light, collimator and Fresnel lenses for concentrating the light beam, and a 3D galvanometer (with three degrees of freedom) for positioning the concentrated beams.
Based on Claim 1, the multifunctional towing robot features a sliding mechanism built into its rear side, allowing it to connect and transport the printer, solar energy collection stations, and a soil collection system. This system includes wheels with folding arms, a belt wheel, a sliding connection mechanism, cameras and sensors, solar panels, batteries, and control circuits.
According to Claims 1 and 6, the multifunctional towing robot is equipped with wheels that have two degrees of freedom, allowing them to rotate around their own axis as well as around the longitudinal axis of the robot. This feature enables height adjustment of the robot, and during printing, the robot will be in contact with the printed walls on both sides for positioning and movement control.
Based on Claims 1 and 6, two rows of belt wheels are incorporated beneath the multifunctional towing robot, which will rest on the upper surface of the wall during the printing process. Along with the side wheels, these belt wheels are responsible for controlling the robot's position and for adjusting the thickness of the printed layer.
According to Claims 1 and 6, the multifunctional towing robot is positioned and controlled using a camera, sensors, and a geographical positioning system based on the defined location for printing the structure.
Based on Claim 1, the raw material supplier system responsible for collecting, crushing, and transporting soil consists of a rotating roller for crushing and gathering soil, two controllable arms with jacks for adjusting the height of the roller, a container, sieves and a helical screw mechanism to transfer the crushed and sieved soil or powder to the printer's powder container.
According to Claim 1, the stationary 3D printer consists of a solar energy collection and transfer system, a print head functioning based on the utilizing of solar light, a print chamber, a build platform/plate with one degree of freedom, a powder container, a powder output control roller, a powder coater, and an electronic control system.
Based on Claims 1 and 11, the solar energy collection system mounted on the printer includes parabolic mirrors to direct the light beam, Fresnel lenses and collimators for creating a high-energy light beam, and flat mirrors for directing the light beam toward the print head.
According to Claims 1 and 11, the solar light-based print head consists of several Fresnel lenses and collimators arranged sequentially to create a concentrated and high-energy light beam, as well as a three-degree-of-freedom galvanometer for positioning the concentrated light beam onto the build platform.