3D-printed polymer hinges cut satellite solar panel deployment weight by 93%

What happened

3D-printed polymer hinges cut satellite solar panel deployment weight by 93%, according to Interesting Engineering. Researchers at Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Polymer Research (IAP) have developed 3D-printed shape-memory polymer hinges that could help satellites deploy their solar panels while carrying significantly less mechanical hardware. Each hinge weighs approximately 1.4 grams, making it about 93 percent lighter than conventional hinges currently used in satellite systems, according to the researchers.

The components use heat to trigger a programmed shape change, allowing folded solar panels to unfold after launch. The development is part of the Additive Manufacturing of Solar Panels for spACE applications (AM-SPACE) project, which brought together Fraunhofer IAP, German Orbital Systems (GOS), Orion Additive Manufacturing and the Fraunhofer Institute for Reliability and Microintegration IZM. Heat triggers shape recovery The technology operates with shape-memory polymers (SMPs), materials that can be programmed into a temporary shape and recover their original form when heated.