Lightweighting large optomechanical structures in astronomy instrumentation utilising generative design and additive manufacturing

James T. Wells; Marcell Westsik; Younes Chahid; Alastair Macleod; Lawrence Bissell; Richard Kotlewski; Scott McPhee; Jonathan Orr; Misael Pimentel Espirindio e Silva; Scott McKegney; William A. Cochrane; Ciarán Breen; Carolyn Atkins

doi:10.1117/12.2676776

28 September 2023 Lightweighting large optomechanical structures in astronomy instrumentation utilising generative design and additive manufacturing

James T. Wells, Marcell Westsik, Younes Chahid, Alastair Macleod, Lawrence Bissell, Richard Kotlewski, Scott McPhee, Jonathan Orr, Misael Pimentel Espirindio e Silva, Scott McKegney, William A. Cochrane, Ciarán Breen, Carolyn Atkins

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 12669, Optomechanical Engineering 2023; 126690K (2023) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2676776
Event: SPIE Optical Engineering + Applications, 2023, San Diego, California, United States

Conference Poster

Abstract

Ground-based astronomical instruments have mass limits to ensure they can operate safely and accurately. Reducing the mass of optomechanical structures relieves mass budget for other components, improving the instrument’s performance. Many industries have adopted generative design (GD) and additive manufacturing (AM; 3D printing) to produce lightweight components. This is yet to be implemented in ground-based astronomical instrumentation; this paper aims to provide insight into the advantages and limitations of this approach. The project studied the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) Mid-infrared Imager and Spectrograph (METIS) threemirror anastigmat (TMA); comparing the conventional, subtractive machined design with GD-AM designs. The TMA was selected due to its bespoke geometry constrained by an optical path, a conventional design which did not consider mass reduction, the size of the part (615mm × 530mm × 525mm) that necessitated a study of different AM methods, and the operational environment (70K & 10−6 Pa). The study created mass-optimised designs of the TMA using topology optimisation and field-driven design. The performance of these designs was analysed using finite element analysis and optical ray tracing. It was found that GD-AM designs pass the required optical, structural and modal requirements, with a greater than 30% weight reduction when compared to the conventional design. The study investigated wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM), a viable method of manufacturing components of the TMA’s size. To commence the validation of WAAM for cryogenic environments, samples of WAAM aluminium 5356 were created and studied. The internal and external dimensions of two samples were investigated using X-ray computed tomography and the outgassing rate of two sets of three samples were evaluated to quantify the difference between machined and as-built samples.

(2023) Published by SPIE. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.

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James T. Wells, Marcell Westsik, Younes Chahid, Alastair Macleod, Lawrence Bissell, Richard Kotlewski, Scott McPhee, Jonathan Orr, Misael Pimentel Espirindio e Silva, Scott McKegney, William A. Cochrane, Ciarán Breen, and Carolyn Atkins "Lightweighting large optomechanical structures in astronomy instrumentation utilising generative design and additive manufacturing", Proc. SPIE 12669, Optomechanical Engineering 2023, 126690K (28 September 2023); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2676776

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