Additive manufacturing of a metallic optical bench-process development, material qualification and demonstration

With the large-class science mission ATHENA, the European Space Agency (ESA) aims at exploring the hot and energetic universe with advanced X-Ray technology. As a central component of the telescope, hundreds of silicon pore optic (SPO) modules will be assembled in an optical bench with a diameter of about 2.5 m. Several approaches are under investigation for the manufacturing of this supporting structure, and for handling the challenging constraints with respect to size, geometry and material. In cooperation with ESA, the Fraunhofer IWS is currently investigating the manufacturing of the optical bench made from Ti-6Al-4 V by means of Additive Manufacturing using Laser Metal Deposition (LMD) followed by subtractive finishing. Several development steps have been covered in a holistic manner starting with the system engineering of the production site. The main focus of the activity was on the process development for the Additive Manufacturing as well as the subtractive finishing. Furthermore, the properties of the produced material were also investigated. Within the scope of this publication, a general overview is given about the project related developments, achievements, and flanking activities for solving various challenges. The suitability of the developed technologies and workflows are now being evaluated through the manufacture of a representative, large-scale breadboard.