Additive Manufacturing of Lightweight Optical Mirrors with Integrated Cooling Channels
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for manufacturing lightweight optical mirrors struggle to achieve a balance between reduced weight and mechanical stiffness while incorporating cooling channels, often requiring complex processes and high costs.
Innovation Solution
A method involving iterative deposition and sintering of metallic powder layers, allowing for the formation of hollow mirror bodies with desired three-dimensional shapes and integrated cooling channels, enabling high mass reduction and mechanical stiffness with a simplified and cost-effective process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If the mirror is made hollow or manufactured from separate components to reduce weight, then the weight is reduced, but the manufacturing process becomes more complex and mechanical stresses increase
Solution Approach 1:
The mirror is divided into multiple layers of metallic powder that are deposited and sintered iteratively. Each layer can be independently controlled to form the desired hollow structure, allowing complex geometries to be created through systematic layer-by-layer construction rather than assembling separate components
Solution Approach 2:
The density of the metallic powder is controlled to be between 0.2 and 0.6 times the density of the bulk material, enabling the formation of hollow structures with optimized weight-to-stiffness ratios. The iterative deposition process allows precise control over the internal cavity geometry while maintaining structural integrity
2Shape
If cavities are formed by cutting, drilling or grinding into a solid block, then the cavities can be created, but the cavities cannot be given desired shapes and the mechanical stiffness to weight ratio is not optimized
Solution Approach 1:
The desired cavity shapes are built into the structure during the iterative deposition process itself, rather than being created afterward by subtractive manufacturing. The metallic powder is deposited layer by layer with controlled density to form the exact three-dimensional cavity geometry required, optimizing both shape and mechanical properties simultaneously
Solution Approach 2:
The mirror structure uses composite construction with varying density metallic powder throughout. The internal cavities are formed by regions of lower density powder, creating a composite structure that optimizes the ratio of mechanical stiffness to weight while achieving complex three-dimensional cavity shapes
3Weight of moving object
If separate components are joined to create hollow mirror structures, then weight is reduced, but long term stability and thermal conductivity are negatively influenced
Solution Approach 1:
The hollow mirror structure is created as a single monolithic piece through iterative deposition and sintering of metallic powder layers. This eliminates all joints between separate components, ensuring uniform thermal conductivity throughout the structure and maintaining long-term stability without the degradation that occurs at joints
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach results in lightweight optical mirrors with enhanced mechanical stiffness, reduced inertial forces, and efficient thermal management, making them suitable for applications like space telescopes and scanning experiments.
Implementation Method 1
applying, for each of the layers, heat at least in a subarea of this layer, thereby fusing or sintering the powder in this subarea and bonding it to a previously deposited layer
Data Source
Figure 1a~1b
Figure 1c~1d
Figure 2~3
AI summary
The invention relates to a method for manufacturing a light weight optical mirror (1) or a mirror (1') comprising at least one cooling channel, the method comprising : - forming a mirror body (2) by ° iteratively depositing a metallic powder in layers (4a, 4b, 4c) and °applying, for each of the layers (4a, 4b, 4c), heat at least in a subarea (5a, 5b, 5c) of this layer (4a, 4b, 4c), thereby fusing or sinterin the powder in this subarea (5a, 5b, 5c) and bonding it to a previously deposited layer (4a, 4b, 4c), the powder remaining in an unfused state in at least one region (6), the method further comprising forming at least one cavity (7) within the carrier (2) by removing the unfused powder from said region (6) and producing a mirror surface (8) at a closed surface (9) of the mirror body (2). The invention further relates to an optical mirror (1) and to an optical device.