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9 May 2019 Design, additive manufacturing, processing, and characterization of metal mirror made of aluminum silicon alloy for space applications
Enrico Hilpert, Johannes Hartung, Henrik von Lukowicz, Tobias Herffurth, Nils Heidler
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Funded by: Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology, European Regional Development Fund and the Free State of Thuringia, Germany
Optical Engineering, Vol. 58, Issue 9, 092613 (May 2019). https://doi.org/10.1117/1.OE.58.9.092613
Abstract
Metal mirrors are used for spaceborne optical systems, such as telescopes and spectrometers. In addition to the optical performance, the mechanical needs and the mass restrictions are important aspects during the design and manufacturing process. Using the additive manufacturing process, optimized internal lightweight structures are realized to reduce the weight of the system while keeping the mechanical stability. A mass reduction of ≈60.5  %   is achieved. Using the aluminum silicon alloy AlSi40, the thermal mismatch of the mirror base body to a necessary electroless nickel-polishing layer is minimized. Based on an exemplary mirror design, the optimization of the interior lightweight structure is described, followed by the manufacturing process from additive manufacturing to diamond turning, plating, and polishing. Finally, the results of surface metrology and light scattering measurements are presented. A final form deviation below 80 nm p  .    −  v  .   and a roughness of ∼1  nm rms could be demonstrated.
CC BY: © The Authors. Published by SPIE under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Unported License. Distribution or reproduction of this work in whole or in part requires full attribution of the original publication, including its DOI.
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Enrico Hilpert, Johannes Hartung, Henrik von Lukowicz, Tobias Herffurth, and Nils Heidler "Design, additive manufacturing, processing, and characterization of metal mirror made of aluminum silicon alloy for space applications," Optical Engineering 58(9), 092613 (9 May 2019). https://doi.org/10.1117/1.OE.58.9.092613
Received: 1 February 2019; Accepted: 11 April 2019; Published: 9 May 2019
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Cited by 33 scholarly publications and 5 patents.
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KEYWORDS
Mirrors
Foam
Additive manufacturing
Aluminum
Metals
Optics manufacturing
Computer aided design
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