Raven Space Systems selected for $1,800,000 AFWERX contract
Focused on developing 3D printed hypersonic flight testbeds for the Department of the Air Force (DAF)
Late last year, Raven Space Systems, a composite 3D printing company, was selected by AFWERX for a $1,800,000 STTR Phase II contract focused on developing 3D printed hypersonic flight testbeds to address the most pressing challenges in the Department of the Air Force (DAF).
The Air Force Research Laboratory and AFWERX have partnered to streamline the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) process by accelerating the small business experience through faster proposal to award timelines – changing the pool of potential applicants by expanding opportunities to small business and eliminating bureaucratic overhead by continually implementing process improvement changes in contract execution.
The DAF began offering the Open Topic SBIR/STTR program in 2018 which expanded the range of innovations the DAF funded, and now, Raven Space Systems has started its journey to create and provide innovative capabilities that will strengthen the national defense of the United States of America.
“Our selection for the STTR Phase II from AFWERX highlights the importance of Raven’s automated composite manufacturing technology for critical defense systems. This contract will allow Raven to develop our systems for reentry vehicle aeroshell production, including the thermal protection system that is traditionally difficult to manufacture. Raven’s breakthrough composite 3D printing innovation will significantly improve the efficiency of aeroshell production. Raven is excited to work with our partners on this project and honored to provide a unique hypersonics capability to the DoD,” said Dr. Blake Herren, CEO of Raven Space Systems.
“Since 2017, SpaceWorks has been at the forefront of reentry vehicle development, advancing solutions for both government and commercial hypersonic testing needs. With Raven’s cutting-edge 3D printed aeroshell technology, we’re poised to drive down costs and expand capabilities, delivering affordable, high-performance hypersonic testing as a service to the industry,” said Tyler Kunsa, VP of Defense and Space Systems at SpaceWorks.
“The University of Illinois is excited to support Raven and AFWERX in the pursuit of hypersonic flight. The Center for Hypersonics and Enty System Studies (CHESS) will deploy material science-grade testing for extreme materials to enable development and qualification of 3D printed flight testbeds, manufactured by Raven,” said Dr. Francesco Panerai, Assistant Professor at UIUC.
Back in 1998 and in the years since that time, I have given papers and talked about the “just because you can, doesn’t mean you should” aspect of 3D printing and applications. I continue to be amazed that the end use parameters that tell users whether or not the part works in what manufacturing technology and materials seem to be ignored.
3D printed parts, just like conventionally manufactured parts, need to vetted for performance, materials, cost (which is associated with volume and other factors beyond just machine time,) design and more before you get to process selection. But, if you do the diligence and analysis users will often get accused of being negative about “new” technology. 3D printing is not new, it has been commercially available for over 30 plus years, yet we continue to learn the lessons from the beginnings every day. The same common sense approach is used with injection molding tooling and part consolidation at the design phase of product development. You look at the factors in design for manufacturing (DFM) and design of additive manufacturing (DfAM) to ensure success.
Nice article. Glad you wrote it.