SBIR Phase I: A Flexible and Efficient Manufacturing System for Radio Antenna Reflectors

这个（小企业创新研究）SBIR第一阶段项目的更广泛影响包括实现广泛的负担得起的卫星通信。今天，轨道上大约有2000颗卫星，地球上没有足够的天线与它们进行通信。预计未来几年卫星数量将增加到1.6万颗。目前的制造工艺过于缓慢和昂贵，无法满足这种快速增长。卫星通信用的碟形天线是用金属片制成的，必须弯曲成碗状。在过去，这种成形过程是通过弯曲、冲压或复合工艺来完成的，这些工艺都很昂贵。碟子设计师们一直局限于批量生产的几种弯曲形状。该项目将开发一种商业制造工艺，以快速成型定制的卫星通信天线弯曲面板。该项目将开发一种快速、灵活的流程来定制新的形状，从而实现更高的数据速率，以扩大访问范围。这个SBIR一期项目将结合感应加热和可调模具技术，将平面金属板塑造成精确的复合弯曲板。感应线圈使用高频率和高功率电流来产生强磁场。这种磁场在工件中产生涡流，加热工件，使其能够被压入适应性强的模具中。可重构模具可以快速改变其形状，形成抛物线或其他自由形状的不同部分。使用可调节的模具，节省了为每个独特的反射片加工高精度模具的成本。可调节的模具也允许容易的回弹，模具磨损，和其他错误的纠正，以实现更高的形状精度比其他大规模生产过程。低模具成本允许这种技术经济地生产任何批量大小。该项目将模拟和测试感应加热和成型过程，最终设计一个工作站来生产曲面板。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact of this (Small Business Innovation Research) SBIR Phase I project includes enabling widespread affordable satellite communication. Today there are approximately 2,000 satellites in orbit and there are not enough dishes on earth to communicate with all of them. The number of satellites is anticipated to grow to 16,000 in the next few years. Current manufacturing processes are too slow and expensive to meet this rapid growth. Dishes for satellite communication are made of metal sheets that must be curved into a bowl shape. In the past, that shaping process has been done by flexing, stamping, or composite processes that are expensive. Dish designers have been limited to the few curved shapes that are mass produced. This project will develop a commercial fabrication process to quickly shape customized curved panels for satellite communication antennas.This project will develop a fast, flexible process to customize new shapes enabling higher data rates to expand access. This SBIR Phase I project will combine induction heating and adjustable mold technologies to shape flat metal sheets into precise compound curved panels. An induction coil uses high frequency and high power electric currents to create a strong magnetic field. This magnetic field induces eddy currents in the workpiece, heating it and enabling it to be pressed into an adaptable mold. The reconfigurable mold can quickly change its shape to form different sections of a parabola or other freeform shape. Using an adjustable mold saves the cost of machining a high precision mold for each unique reflector segment. The adjustable mold also allows for easy correction of springback, mold wear, and other errors to achieve higher shape accuracy than other mass production processes. The low tooling cost allows this technology to economically produce any batch size. The project will model and test induction heating and forming processes, ultimately designing a workstation to produce curved panels.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.