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Updated: Jul 29, 2026
08:45
Micro-masonry for 3D Additive Micromanufacturing
Published on: August 1, 2014
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Dry-Adhesive Microstructures for Material Handling of Additively Manufactured and Deep-Rolled Metal Surfaces with
Nicole Mensching1,2, Mirja Louisa Krüger1,3, Askar Kvaratskheliya1,2
1Center for Materials and Processes (MAPEX), University of Bremen, Bibliothekstr. 1, 28359 Bremen, Germany.
Materials (Basel, Switzerland)
|June 10, 2023
Summary
Developing spare parts on Mars requires processing local materials. This study explores low-energy handling techniques for sintered regolith, enhancing surface adhesion for easier manipulation of manufactured components.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science and Engineering
- Additive Manufacturing
- Space Exploration Technologies
Background:
- On-site maintenance and repair are critical for human missions on Mars due to complex Earth-Mars supply chains.
- Utilizing Martian raw materials, such as oxygen-reduced regolith, is essential for in-situ resource utilization (ISRU).
- Energy availability and material quality are key factors for successful in-situ production.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and technically implement a process chain for producing spare parts from oxygen-reduced Martian regolith.
- To address the challenge of low-energy handling of additively manufactured components from Martian regolith.
- To investigate the effectiveness of a dry-adhesive microstructure and deep-rolling for surface smoothing and enhanced handling.
Main Methods:
- Approximation of statistically distributed high roughnesses of sintered regolith analogs by parameter variation in the Powder Bed Fusion-Laser Beam Melting (PBF-LB/M) process.
- Application of a dry-adhesive microstructure for low-energy handling.
- Investigation of deep-rolling post-processing to smooth rough surfaces and enable microstructure adhesion for sample transport.
Main Results:
- Surface roughness (Sa) of AlSi10Mg samples varied from 7.7 µm to 64 µm after additive manufacturing.
- Deep-rolling significantly enhanced pull-off stresses, reaching up to 6.99 N/cm², a 392.94-fold increase compared to pre-rolling.
- Post-deep-rolling treatment enabled handling of previously difficult-to-manage specimens, suggesting additional roughness variables influence adhesion.
Conclusions:
- Deep-rolling is an effective post-processing technique to improve the handling capabilities of additively manufactured components from simulated Martian regolith.
- The developed process shows potential for enabling the in-situ production and manipulation of spare parts on Mars.
- Further research into specific roughness parameters influencing dry-adhesive microstructure adhesion is warranted.
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