The German Aerospace Center is now using Stratasys FDM 3D printing to make a fully-working prototype of TransRoPorter (TRP), an exploration robot designed for unmanned flights to Mars. The TransRoPorter was built at the Institute for Robotics and Mechatronics and is set for launch as early as 2021.
It’s made from two components: a moveable TRP Rover-Unit, made to navigate in unstructured terrain, and the Payload-Module (PM), which carries spare parts, communication technology, and scientific tools.
The team used the Stratasys Fortus 900mc Production 3D Printer to print a working prototype, but now much more rigorous testing is required.
The ability to 3D print the TransRoPorter not only saved the team precious time and money, but the prototype needed to function, so the team chose to print the large parts in fused deposition modeling (FDM) thermoplastic materials.
According to the researchers, the material was a good fit for testing the prototype, and allowed the team to make a strong enough box to safely hold all the technology within. Hopefully, within the next five years or so, we’ll see the TransRoPorter headed to the red planet.
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