Mary-Louise Hoffman
Lockheed Martin has invested in 3D printing technology as it aims to decrease the time it takes to build and manufacture commercial satellites, Defense News reported Monday.
Aaron Mehta writes that Lockheed executives discussed how the company is using 3D printing methods and nanotechnology to help improve its technology development activities at a recent National Space Symposium luncheon event.
During the event, Rick Ambrose, Lockheed executive vice president for space systems, presented a bracket designed with the firm’s advanced polymer composites.
Mehta reports that Lockheed uses 3D printing and APEX nanocomposite technology in order to produce as many as 300 brackets in just one day.
“These may seem like small items, but they’re going to build up eventually and be more and more part of the satellite as we go forward,” Ambrose said, according to the report.
Ken Washington, vice president of Lockheed’s STAR Labs, said that nanotechnology works to help the company engineer lighter materials with conductive properties.
Lockheed and Pentagon officials recently met to ensure that the company’s technology investments are aligned with the agency’s goals, according to Defense News.
