A low power extraterrestrial in-situ additive manufacturing method and 3D printing binder

Abstract

The application discloses a kind of low-power extraterrestrial body in situ additive manufacturing method and 3D printing binder, belong to aerospace technology field;The method includes preparing polymer and foaming agent in advance on earth, using its soil as the soil matrix of 3D printing of the extraterrestrial body on extraterrestrial body, and using high-pressure gas including carried on earth as the gas for transporting 3D printing foam binder on extraterrestrial body;The 3D printing binder is composed of polymer and foaming agent carried on earth and high-pressure gas;The foaming agent is used to mix 3D printing foam binder made of polymer;The high-pressure gas is used to provide transport power for 3D printing foam binder under the environment of extraterrestrial body.The application effectively reduces the transportation cost of rocket to moon by combining foaming and additive manufacturing on the surface of moon, realizes rapid in-situ manufacturing light structure, meets the material demand of moon base construction, and provides a more suitable environment.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of aerospace technology, specifically proposing a low-power in-situ additive manufacturing method for extraterrestrial bodies and a 3D printing binder. Background Technology

[0002] With the continuous development and progress of human society, exploring outer space and extraterrestrial bodies has become one of the important ways to explore the origin of the universe, continue human civilization, and promote scientific and technological development. As Earth's only natural satellite and the closest extraterrestrial body to Earth, the Moon is also the first stop in human space exploration, possessing immense research, exploration, and development value. The process of lunar exploration and development is planned and implemented in three steps: exploration, landing, and settlement. Establishing a permanent base suitable for medium- and long-term settlement and a convenient experimental exploration platform on the lunar surface is an inevitable choice for conducting deep lunar scientific research and resource development.

[0003] In December 2013 and April 2023, China's first and second lunar rovers, Yutu-1 and Yutu-2, successfully landed on the moon, completing the first step of the three-step lunar mission of "exploration, landing, and habitation"—"exploration"—but the issues of "landing and habitation" remain unresolved. The first step, "exploration," involved exploring the lunar surface, including three-dimensional optical imaging of the rover area, lunar surface exploration, on-site analysis, and transmitting the collected and analyzed data back to Earth. To complete the second step, "landing and habitation," a permanent base suitable for medium- and long-term habitation and a convenient experimental exploration platform must be established on the lunar surface.

[0004] One of the challenges in establishing a permanent base suitable for medium- to long-term stays on the lunar surface is that the in-situ resources on the lunar surface are limited to lunar soil, lunar dust, and lunar rocks.

[0005] The second challenge in establishing a suitable permanent base for medium- to long-term stays on the lunar surface is the ultra-high vacuum. The difference between ultra-high vacuum and a near-Earth space station is that a near-Earth space station is only a few hundred kilometers from Earth, while the distance from the Moon to Earth is 1000 times the distance from Earth to near-Earth space! This places stringent requirements on rocket launch weight, because rocket payload and launch range are inversely proportional; the lighter the rocket payload, the farther the launch distance. Therefore, the equipment and resources launched to the Moon by rocket must be as lightweight as possible.

[0006] In summary, the challenges of establishing a suitable permanent base for medium- to long-term residence on the lunar surface are: on the one hand, the limited variety of in-situ resources on the lunar surface requires as many devices and resources as possible to be launched to the moon via rockets; on the other hand, the distance between the moon and Earth is too great, and rocket launches in ultra-high vacuum require the payload to be as light as possible. Summary of the Invention

[0007] To address the problems existing in the prior art, this invention proposes a low-power in-situ additive manufacturing method for extraterrestrial bodies and a 3D printing binder. The aim is to solve the problems of harsh environments on extraterrestrial bodies that are unsuitable for habitation, the limited availability of extraterrestrial resources, and the weight restrictions imposed on rockets launched from Earth to these celestial bodies.

[0008] To solve its technical problem, the present invention adopts the following technical solution:

[0009] A low-power in-situ additive manufacturing method for extraterrestrial bodies is disclosed. This method is based on an ultra-low-power in-situ construction device for extraterrestrial bodies. The device includes an ultra-low-power 3D-printed jet vehicle body, solar energy collection devices mounted on both sides of the jet vehicle body, a lithium battery pack for storing solar energy mounted inside the vehicle body, an obstacle avoidance camera mounted on the outside of the vehicle body for obstacle avoidance, a drive device mounted on the underside of the vehicle body for movement on the lunar surface, and a directional antenna and a transmitting antenna mounted on the top of the vehicle body for transmitting and receiving information from Earth. The 3D-printed jet vehicle body also contains a polymer compound, a foaming agent, high-pressure gas, a mixing device, a conveying pipeline, a multi-functional flat roller device, and a multi-hole nozzle. The polymer compound and foaming agent are prepared in advance on Earth. The high-pressure gas includes high-pressure gas carried on Earth: high-pressure gas is used as the gas to transport the 3D-printed foam binder. The mixing device is a mixing device that mixes the polymer compound and foaming agent on the surface of the extraterrestrial body, and then the high-pressure gas binds the mixed 3D-printed foam. The binder is sent to the multi-hole nozzle through a delivery pipeline; the multi-functional flat roller device includes a digging mechanism, a bulldozing mechanism, and a flat roller mechanism. The digging mechanism digs the soil on the surface of the extraterrestrial body and forms a movable powder bed; the bulldozing mechanism continuously supplies the soil from the movable powder bed to the current forming part; the flat roller mechanism penetrates the binder between the upper and lower powder layers of the forming part and between the two soil layers to combine them into one, ultimately producing the target forming part of the large extraterrestrial body shelter; the jetting vehicle body is a 3D printing jetting vehicle body for extraterrestrial bodies that completes translation and rotation.

[0010] Its characteristic is that the method includes the following steps:

[0011] Step 1: Prepare the polymer and foaming agent on Earth in advance;

[0012] Step 2: Mix the polymer and foaming agent on an extraterrestrial body to create a 3D printing foam binder.

[0013] Step 3: Using the soil of an extraterrestrial body as the soil matrix for 3D printing on that extraterrestrial body, and using high-pressure gas on the extraterrestrial body as the gas to transport the 3D printed foam binder; the high-pressure gas includes high-pressure gas carried on Earth;

[0014] Step 4: Select a suitable temperature range for 3D printing on an extraterrestrial body, and start and stop 3D printing within this temperature range;

[0015] Step 5: Within this temperature range, use the excavation mechanism of a low-power 3D printer to excavate an active powder bed for the current shaped part; the shaped part is the large extraterrestrial shelter being constructed.

[0016] Step 6: Quickly spray a layer of 3D printing foam binder onto the current layer of the current part through the high-pressure gas delivery pipe and multi-hole nozzle of the 3D printer;

[0017] Step 7: Add a layer of soil onto the 3D printing foam binder that was sprayed onto the current layer of the molded part;

[0018] Step 8: Use the 3D printer's flat roller mechanism to refine the soil in the current layer;

[0019] Step 9: Is the soil in the current active bed used up? If not, return to step 5. If it is used up, change the digging position of the digging device by translation and rotation, and continue digging a new silt bed in the new digging position.

[0020] Step 10: Repeat steps 5 through 9 until printing is complete, and then use the high-temperature environment of extraterrestrial bodies for overall curing.

[0021] Furthermore, in step three, a suitable temperature range for the forming process is selected on an extraterrestrial body, which is -10°C to 70°C.

[0022] Furthermore, the movable powder bed is the soil that the excavating mechanism excavates around the forming part in different directions. When the soil on the powder bed in one direction is used up, the excavating mechanism changes to another direction. The powder bed in each direction is excavated around the current forming part. The soil is extraterrestrial celestial surface particles of different particle sizes and compositions.

[0023] Furthermore, the multifunctional flat roller device has multiple working angles. When a new powder bed is needed to provide for the formed part, it is used as a digging mechanism with a downward tilt angle. When a new powder layer is needed to provide for the current formed part, it is used as a bulldozing mechanism with an upward tilt angle. When a smoothing and correction is needed for the current formed part, it is used as a flat roller mechanism with a horizontal angle.

[0024] Furthermore, the multifunctional flat roller device includes a long arm, a short arm, and a cylinder. The long arm is connected to a lifting device, which drives the short arm and the cylinder to move up and down together. One end of the cylinder is connected to the long arm, and the other end is connected to the short arm. By adjusting the length of the cylinder, the angle between the long arm and the short arm can be adjusted. By adjusting the angle between the long arm and the short arm, the short arm can perform digging, bulldozing, and flat roller functions respectively.

[0025] A low-power in-situ 3D printing foam binder for extraterrestrial bodies is characterized by the following: the 3D printing foam binder is used to mix and bond with soil on the surface of an extraterrestrial body to construct a large-scale shelter, which is an irregular conical house or an irregular mound-shaped cave; the 3D printing foam binder is composed of a high-molecular polymer and a foaming agent carried on Earth, as well as high-pressure gas carried on Earth; the high-molecular polymer serves as the main material for preparing the 3D printing foam binder; the foaming agent is used to mix the high-molecular polymer to form the 3D printing foam binder; and the high-pressure gas is used to provide the transport force for the 3D printing foam binder in the extraterrestrial environment.

[0026] Furthermore, if the viscosity of the polymer is too high, it can be diluted to 5-30 mPa*s using ethanol, acetone, or ethyl acetate.

[0027] Furthermore, the foaming agent is a surfactant with high surface activity produced through physical or chemical experiments.

[0028] Advantages and effects of the present invention

[0029] 1. In-situ manufacturing on the surface of extraterrestrial bodies can effectively reduce the transportation costs of rockets to the moon. By combining foaming and additive manufacturing, lightweight structures can be manufactured in-situ on extraterrestrial bodies with low power consumption and rapid in-situ production, meeting the material requirements for the construction of extraterrestrial bases.

[0030] 2. Foam is an ideal building material, possessing lightweight, porous properties, excellent thermal insulation, and chemical stability. Therefore, it is better suited for extreme environments such as complex material compositions and extreme temperature cycles on extraterrestrial surfaces, providing a more suitable environment for astronauts and base construction. Attached Figure Description

[0031] Figure 1 This is a flowchart of the in-situ additive manufacturing method for extraterrestrial bodies according to the present invention;

[0032] Figure 2a This is an application effect diagram of the excavation mechanism of the multi-functional flat roller device for 3D printers according to the present invention;

[0033] Figure 2b This is an application effect diagram of the bulldozing mechanism of the multi-functional flat roller device for 3D printers of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 2c This is an application effect diagram of the flat roller mechanism of the multi-functional flat roller device for 3D printers of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 3 This describes the printing principle of 3D printers currently used on Earth. Detailed Implementation

[0036] Design principle of the invention

[0037] 1. The design goal of this invention is to construct a large-scale shelter for extraterrestrial bodies, in order to prepare for a future human landing on the moon in 2030.

[0038] 2. Challenges of 3D Printing Large Lunar Shelters: First, the amount of 3D printing materials needed on the moon is vastly different from that on Earth. Printing materials include printing ink and molding powder. For example... Figure 3 As shown, 3D printing on Earth is desktop printing, with limited ink and powder, confined to a limited area. Lunar printing, however, involves constructing large shelters, and the ink and powder requirements for such construction are on a completely different scale. Secondly, the objects that can be 3D printed on the Moon are vastly different from those on Earth. Earth's 3D printing objects are limited to desktop sizes, while lunar 3D printing involves large shelters. Thirdly, high-altitude transportation between the Moon and Earth is on a completely different scale compared to Earth's transportation. The distance from the Moon to Earth is 1000 times that of the near-Earth space station! The Moon's high altitude poses a significant challenge to transportation between the Moon and Earth; each additional kilogram of payload for a rocket costs tens of thousands of RMB more. Fourthly, lunar resources are limited; the lunar surface contains only lunar regolith and no water.

[0039] 4. Innovations and Solutions of this Invention

[0040] 1) The 3D printing technology on Earth was transferred to the Moon, an extraterrestrial body. In the process of transfer, the difficulties of limited lunar resources and the weight restrictions on rocket launches from Earth to the Moon due to the Moon's extremely high altitude were overcome, and excellent results were achieved.

[0041] 2) Polyimide polymers were selected as the main component of the 3D printing binder. Compared to metals, high-durability polyimides offer advantages such as light weight and high environmental resistance, reducing the weight and cost of transportation between Earth and the Moon, and enabling stable operation in the harsh and complex lunar surface environment. Polyimide foam incorporating lunar soil exhibits advantages in terms of viscosity, rheology, thermal insulation, heat insulation, radiation resistance, flame retardancy, and other mechanical, thermomagnetic properties.

[0042] 3) The foaming agent achieves the effect of ten times the effort. Compared to in-situ manufacturing methods such as laser, melt extrusion, sintering, and biodegradation, the foaming process can produce large-scale, mass-produced, and highly efficient foams on the lunar surface. Compared to transporting raw materials such as water and fuel from Earth, this invention can carry high-pressure gas as the transport gas for the 3D printing foam binder, greatly reducing the weight and cost of transportation between Earth and the Moon.

[0043] 4) Mixing polymer compounds and foaming agents on the moon allows tasks previously done on Earth to be performed there. On Earth, only the preparation of the polymers and foaming agents needs to be completed; the mixing and tenfold volume expansion is done on the moon, thus reducing transportation costs. Considering only the transportation of raw materials for large-scale 3D printing shelters, the rocket launch payload is reduced by more than one-tenth.

[0044] 5) The mixture of polyimide and foaming agent is driven by high-pressure gas, which does not rely on the resources (water, oxygen, etc.) that are lacking on the moon, thus reducing the weight and cost of transportation between the earth and the moon: extraterrestrial bodies, like the earth, also have gravity, but the gravity of extraterrestrial bodies is lower than that of the earth. For example, the moon's gravity is one-sixth of that of the earth. The gravity resistance is small, which helps the foam binder to be fully mixed and sprayed.

[0045] 6) Compared to laser and sintering 3D printing, in addition to using high-pressure gas to drive the mixture of polyimide and foaming agent on the lunar surface, it also uses the gas expansion caused by the vacuum negative pressure on the lunar surface to drive the polyimide solution to prepare porous polyimide foam. It has the advantages of low power consumption, low energy consumption and low heat generation. Therefore, it does not require a complicated heat dissipation system and too many solar power generation devices to provide electricity for the entire manufacturing process.

[0046] 7) Using "mobile powder beds" on the moon instead of printing toner reduces the weight and cost of transporting materials between Earth and the Moon. There is an inexhaustible supply of lunar soil at a depth of 0-10 meters below the lunar surface. Since there are no requirements for soil particle size when constructing large shelters, any soil that can be bonded, penetrated, and bound together is acceptable. Therefore, lunar soil can be used as a powder bed for 3D printing. Because large-sized parts need to be constructed, powder beds are excavated at different locations around the part, hence the name "mobile powder bed."

[0047] 8) Employing a translational and rotatable 3D printer on the moon. The massive scale of 3D printing presents significant challenges to the construction of bases and equipment platforms on the lunar surface. Considering the unique characteristics of this project, this invention employs a translational and rotatable 3D printer, such as... Figure 2a , Figure 2b , Figure 2c As shown, by translating and rotating the vehicle body, it can accommodate the construction of shaped parts of different sizes.

[0048] 9) Utilizing a three-in-one 3D printer on the moon. Considering the complexity of lunar engineering, 3D printing equipment should be as simple and easy to implement as possible. This invention's multi-functional flat roller mechanism serves three purposes: it functions as an excavator when excavating a powder bed, as a bulldozer when adding soil to the formed part, and as a flat roller mechanism when trimming the current layer of the formed part. This three-in-one functionality is achieved through the organic combination of the lifting device, universal joint, cylinder, long arm, and short arm controlled by the control system.

[0049] 5. Principle of Foamed 3D Printing: 1) Polyimide possesses excellent properties such as resistance to high and low temperatures (-200-300℃), resistance to antigenic oxygen, and resistance to high-energy radiation. 2) When materials from different containers are mixed and sprayed out, the pressure of the mixture is released under vacuum, causing the gas volume to increase rapidly. This allows the plastic polyimide to instantly expand from the voids filled by lunar regolith and gas, producing porous foam, which completely solidifies under the high temperature and radiation of the lunar surface. 3) The foaming process forms a porous and wall structure, hindering heat transfer and reducing thermal conductivity, thus improving the material's thermal insulation performance and achieving a heat insulation and cold protection effect. This helps solve the extreme high and low temperature environment problems faced during the construction of lunar surface infrastructure and experimental platforms. 4) The addition of inorganic lunar regolith filler forms a barrier layer inside the foam, improving the flame retardant and radiation resistance properties of the polyimide foam. 5) This 3D printed foam has multiple effects such as being lightweight, high-strength, heat-insulating, and sound-absorbing. It can be used for the construction of infrastructure and thermal insulation on the lunar surface, accelerating the construction of bases on the lunar surface, as well as the construction of some experimental devices and tools.

[0050] Based on the above principles, this invention designs an in-situ additive manufacturing method for extraterrestrial bodies, such as... Figure 1The flowchart of the in-situ additive manufacturing method for extraterrestrial bodies of the present invention is shown. This method is based on an ultra-low power in-situ construction device for extraterrestrial bodies. The device includes an ultra-low power 3D-printed jet vehicle body, solar energy collection devices installed on both sides of the jet vehicle body, a set of lithium battery packs for storing solar energy installed inside the vehicle body, an obstacle avoidance camera installed on the outside of the vehicle body for obstacle avoidance, a drive device installed on the lower part of the vehicle body for walking on the lunar surface, and a directional antenna and a transmitting antenna installed on the top of the vehicle body for transmitting and receiving information from Earth. The 3D-printed jet vehicle body also contains a polymer compound, a foaming agent, high-pressure gas, a mixing device, a conveying pipeline, a multi-functional flat roller device, and a multi-hole nozzle. The polymer compound and foaming agent are prepared in advance on Earth. The high-pressure gas includes high-pressure gas carried on Earth: high-pressure gas is used as the gas to transport the 3D-printed foam binder. The mixing device is a mixing device that mixes the polymer compound and foaming agent on the surface of the extraterrestrial body: the high-pressure gas mixes the polymer compound and foaming agent, and then the high-pressure gas binds the mixed 3D-printed foam. The binder is sent to the multi-hole nozzle through a delivery pipeline; the multi-functional flat roller device includes a digging mechanism, a bulldozing mechanism, and a flat roller mechanism. The digging mechanism digs the soil on the surface of the extraterrestrial body and forms a movable powder bed; the bulldozing mechanism continuously supplies the soil from the movable powder bed to the current forming part; the flat roller mechanism penetrates the binder between the upper and lower powder layers of the forming part and between the two soil layers to combine them into one, ultimately producing the target forming part of the large extraterrestrial body shelter; the jetting vehicle body is a 3D printing jetting vehicle body for extraterrestrial bodies that completes translation and rotation.

[0051] Supplementary Note 1 :

[0052] 1) The aforementioned ultra-low power in-situ construction equipment for extraterrestrial bodies is a new function added based on the existing technology of the Yutu lunar rover. Since the Yutu lunar rover has successfully solved the problems of solar energy collection and storage under extreme temperature conditions of +150°C to -180°C, has successfully solved the problems of lunar rover operation under lunar surface vacuum, strong radiation, and extreme temperatures of +150°C to -180°C, and has solved the problems of ground operation mode and autonomous operation mode; therefore, for details regarding the above technologies, please refer to the relevant technologies of the Yutu lunar rover, which will not be repeated here.

[0053] 2) The aforementioned ultra-low power in-situ construction equipment for extraterrestrial bodies, such as Figure 2a , Figure 2b , Figure 2cAs shown, the vehicle body in this embodiment only shows the parts that the Yutu rover does not have, rather than a complete vehicle body structure. The complete vehicle body structure should also include the solar energy collection device, lithium battery pack, obstacle avoidance camera, drive device, directional antenna and transmitting antenna that the Yutu rover already has. The vehicle body in this embodiment only shows the structures that the Yutu rover does not have, for ease of understanding.

[0054] Its characteristic is that the method includes the following steps:

[0055] Step 1: Prepare the polymer and foaming agent on Earth in advance;

[0056] Supplementary Note 2 :

[0057] The aforementioned polymers and foaming agents brought from Earth will undergo phase transitions from gas to liquid to solid on the Moon due to temperature changes. For example, a foaming agent that is liquid on Earth will turn into a gas in the high-temperature environment of an extraterrestrial body, but will turn back into a liquid at the appropriate temperature. Therefore, it is necessary to select an appropriate temperature range for operation on extraterrestrial bodies, generally between -10°C and 70°C.

[0058] Step 2: Mix the polymer and foaming agent on an extraterrestrial body to create a 3D printing foam binder.

[0059] Step 3: Using the soil of an extraterrestrial body as the soil matrix for 3D printing on that extraterrestrial body, and using high-pressure gas on the extraterrestrial body as the gas to transport the 3D printed foam binder; the high-pressure gas includes high-pressure gas carried on Earth;

[0060] Supplementary Note 3:

[0061] The aforementioned high-pressure gases can also be generated and collected by decomposing them in the high-temperature environment of extraterrestrial bodies. Since Mars has an atmosphere, the gases can be compressed into high-pressure gases using an air compressor pump on the surface of Mars. Since the Moon has no atmosphere, lunar soil can be loaded into a sealed container using an excavation mechanism and decomposed into high-pressure gases at high temperatures.

[0062] Step 4: Select a suitable temperature range for 3D printing on an extraterrestrial body, and start and stop 3D printing within this temperature range;

[0063] Step 5: Within this temperature range, use the excavation mechanism of a low-power 3D printer to excavate an active powder bed for the current shaped part; the shaped part is the large extraterrestrial shelter being constructed.

[0064] Step 6: Quickly spray a layer of 3D printing foam binder onto the current layer of the current part through the high-pressure gas delivery pipe and multi-hole nozzle of the 3D printer;

[0065] Step 7: Add a layer of soil onto the 3D printing foam binder that has been sprayed onto the current layer of the molded part;

[0066] Step 8: Use the 3D printer's flat roller mechanism to refine the soil in the current layer;

[0067] Step 9: Is the soil in the current active bed used up? If not, return to step 5. If it is used up, change the digging position of the digging device by translation and rotation, and continue digging a new silt bed in the new digging position.

[0068] Step 10: Repeat steps 5 through 9 until printing is complete, and then use the high-temperature environment of extraterrestrial bodies for overall curing.

[0069] Furthermore, in step three, a suitable temperature range for the forming process is selected on an extraterrestrial body, which is -10°C to 70°C.

[0070] Supplementary Note 4 :

[0071] 1) The above-mentioned 3D printing control method adopts ground control + autonomous control. The technology of ground control + autonomous control is based on the mature technology of Yutu vehicle, but is not the focus of this invention.

[0072] 2) The ground control + autonomous control in this embodiment is roughly divided as follows: the mixing section, selection of the working temperature range, and starting and stopping 3D printing are controlled by the ground; the jet manufacturing process is controlled by a combination of autonomous and ground control. Specifically, steps two and four are controlled by the ground, while steps five to ten are controlled by a combination of autonomous and ground control. The ground control is used to monitor the jet manufacturing process and handle emergencies. The detailed control process draws on mature technology from the Yutu lunar rover and will not be elaborated upon here.

[0073] In step two above, the polymer and foaming agent are mixed on an extraterrestrial body, and this mixing process is controlled from the ground.

[0074] Furthermore, the movable powder bed is the soil that the excavating mechanism excavates around the forming part in different directions. When the soil on the powder bed in one direction is used up, the excavating mechanism changes to another direction. The powder bed in each direction is excavated around the current forming part. The soil is extraterrestrial celestial surface particles of different particle sizes and compositions.

[0075] Furthermore, the multifunctional flat roller device has multiple working angles. When a new powder bed is needed to provide for the formed part, it is used as a digging mechanism with a downward tilt angle. When a new powder layer is needed to provide for the current formed part, it is used as a bulldozing mechanism with an upward tilt angle. When a smoothing and correction is needed for the current formed part, it is used as a flat roller mechanism with a horizontal angle.

[0076] Furthermore, the multifunctional flat roller device includes a long arm, a short arm, and a cylinder. The long arm is connected to a lifting device, which drives the short arm and the cylinder to move up and down together. One end of the cylinder is connected to the long arm, and the other end is connected to the short arm. By adjusting the length of the cylinder, the angle between the long arm and the short arm can be adjusted. By adjusting the angle between the long arm and the short arm, the short arm can perform digging, bulldozing, and flat roller functions respectively.

[0077] A low-power in-situ 3D printing foam binder for extraterrestrial bodies is characterized by the following: the 3D printing foam binder is used to mix and bond with soil on the surface of an extraterrestrial body to construct a large-scale shelter, which is an irregular conical house or an irregular mound-shaped cave; the 3D printing foam binder is composed of a high-molecular polymer and a foaming agent carried on Earth, as well as high-pressure gas carried on Earth; the high-molecular polymer serves as the main material for preparing the 3D printing foam binder; the foaming agent is used to mix the high-molecular polymer to form the 3D printing foam binder; and the high-pressure gas is used to provide the transport force for the 3D printing foam binder in the extraterrestrial environment.

[0078] Furthermore, if the viscosity of the polymer is too high, it can be diluted to 5-30 mPa*s using ethanol, acetone, or ethyl acetate.

[0079] Furthermore, the foaming agent is a surfactant with high surface activity produced by physical or chemical methods.

[0080] It should be emphasized that the above specific embodiments are merely explanations of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. After reading this specification, those skilled in the art can make modifications to the above embodiments without contributing any inventive step, but as long as they are within the scope of the claims of the present invention, they are protected by patent law.

Claims

1. A low-power in-situ additive manufacturing method for extraterrestrial bodies, the method being based on an ultra-low-power in-situ construction device for extraterrestrial bodies. This device includes an ultra-low-power 3D-printed jetting vehicle body, solar energy collection devices mounted on both sides of the jetting vehicle body, a set of lithium battery packs for storing solar energy mounted inside the vehicle body, an obstacle avoidance camera mounted on the outside of the vehicle body for obstacle avoidance, a drive device mounted on the lower part of the vehicle body for walking on the lunar surface, and a directional antenna and a transmitting antenna mounted on the top of the vehicle body for transmitting and receiving information from Earth. The 3D-printed jetting vehicle body also contains a polymer compound, a foaming agent, high-pressure gas, a mixing device, a conveying pipeline, a multi-functional flat roller device, and a multi-hole nozzle. The polymer compound and foaming agent are prepared in advance on Earth. The high-pressure gas includes high-pressure gas carried on Earth: high-pressure gas is used as the gas to transport the 3D-printed foam binder. The mixing device is a mixing device that mixes the polymer compound and foaming agent on the surface of the extraterrestrial body: the high-pressure gas mixes the polymer compound and foaming agent, and then the high-pressure gas binds the mixed 3D-printed foam. The binder is sent to the multi-hole nozzle through a delivery pipeline; the multi-functional flat roller device includes a digging mechanism, a bulldozing mechanism, and a flat roller mechanism. The digging mechanism excavates the soil on the surface of the extraterrestrial body and forms a movable powder bed; the bulldozing mechanism continuously supplies soil from the movable powder bed to the current forming part; the flat roller mechanism permeates the binder between the upper and lower powder layers of the forming part, as well as between the two soil layers, to bond them together, ultimately producing the target forming part of a large extraterrestrial body shelter; the jetting vehicle body is a 3D printing jetting vehicle body for extraterrestrial bodies that completes translation and rotation. Its features are, The method includes the following steps: Step 1: Prepare the polymer and foaming agent on Earth in advance; Step 2: Mix the polymer and foaming agent on an extraterrestrial body to create a 3D printing foam binder. Step 3: Using the soil of an extraterrestrial body as the soil matrix for 3D printing on that extraterrestrial body, and using high-pressure gas on the extraterrestrial body as the gas to transport the 3D printed foam binder; the high-pressure gas includes high-pressure gas carried on Earth; Step 4: Select a suitable temperature range for 3D printing on an extraterrestrial body, and start and stop 3D printing within this temperature range; Step 5: Within this temperature range, use the excavation mechanism of a low-power 3D printer to excavate an active powder bed for the current shaped part; the shaped part is the large extraterrestrial shelter being constructed. Step 6: Quickly spray a layer of 3D printing foam binder onto the current layer of the current part through the high-pressure gas delivery pipe and multi-hole nozzle of the 3D printer; Step 7: Add a layer of soil onto the 3D printing foam binder that was sprayed onto the current layer of the molded part; Step 8: Use the 3D printer's flat roller mechanism to refine the soil in the current layer; Step 9: Determine if the soil in the current active bed has been used up. If not, return to step 5. If it has been used up, change the digging position of the digging device by translation and rotation, and continue digging a new silt bed in the new digging position. Step 10: Repeat steps 5 through 9 until printing is complete, and then use the high-temperature environment of extraterrestrial bodies for overall curing.

2. The low-power in-situ additive manufacturing method for extraterrestrial bodies according to claim 1, characterized in that: Step three involves selecting a suitable temperature range for the forming process on an extraterrestrial body, which is -10°C to 70°C.

3. The low-power in-situ additive manufacturing method for extraterrestrial bodies according to claim 1, characterized in that: The movable soil bed is the soil that the excavating mechanism digs around the forming part in different directions. When the soil in one direction is used up, the excavating mechanism changes to another direction. The soil bed in each direction is dug around the current forming part. The soil is extraterrestrial celestial surface particles of different particle sizes and compositions.

4. The low-power in-situ additive manufacturing method for extraterrestrial bodies according to claim 1, characterized in that: The multifunctional flat roller device has multiple working angles. When a new powder bed is needed to provide a formed part, it is used as a digging mechanism with a downward tilt angle. When a new powder layer is needed to provide a current formed part, it is used as a bulldozing mechanism with an upward tilt angle. When a smoothing and correction is needed for the current formed part, it is used as a flat roller mechanism with a horizontal angle.

5. The low-power in-situ additive manufacturing method for extraterrestrial bodies according to claim 1, characterized in that: The multi-functional flat roller device includes a long arm, a short arm, and a cylinder. The long arm is connected to a lifting device, which drives the short arm and the cylinder to move up and down together. One end of the cylinder is connected to the long arm, and the other end is connected to the short arm. By adjusting the length of the cylinder, the angle between the long arm and the short arm can be adjusted. By adjusting the angle between the long arm and the short arm, the short arm can perform digging, bulldozing, and flat roller functions respectively.

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