As part of our Horizon Europe project InShaPe, we are excited to announce the winner of our Open Innovation Service (OIS). The initiative was developed to invite innovators from all industries to shape the future of manufacturing with the goal to advance Additive Manufacturing beyond traditional manufacturing methods. We seek to expand industrial use cases leveraging our expertise and cutting-edge technology.

The winning submission to the OIS is from Airbus Defence and Space with an application linked to Space communication hardware.

Airbus has already introduced additively manufactured components using laser-based powder bed fusion of metals for space communication hardware in serial production. The InShaPe laser beam shaping technology could further enhance this hardware in terms of productivity and quality, which is why Airbus is interested to explore this together with the InShaPe consortium. This use case aligns perfectly with the goals of the OIS, aiming to shape the future within the industry and explore novel metal applications to create significant impact. In a future blog, we will dive deeper into the potential benefits of laser beam shaping for this use case.

Three other submission finalists were considered for the OIS. The use case from Airbus was not the only space-related submission we received. Another innovative idea was for a monolithic spacecraft thruster designed for Water Electrolysis Propulsion (WEP) systems, utilizing hydrogen and oxygen as propellants. Using AM and laser beam shaping could enhance cooling, allowing for a material change that significantly improves the economics of manufacturing with AM.

Cooling or heat transfer was also a theme in use case submissions beyond space applications. Utilizing beam shaping to create controlled porous or lattice structures, forming closed foam-like areas within a component, can be beneficial across various industries. This approach can reduce heat transfer or achieve lightweighting while maintaining clean, functional surfaces for applications like fluid flow.

Controlling stiffness to mimic natural elasticity and promote optimal bone ingrowth makes lattice structures interesting for medical applications, which was another idea of one finalist. The delicate nature of these applications, with very small minimum feature sizes and intricate structures, could benefit from laser beam shaping technology and novel in-situ monitoring processes.

This Open Innovation Service offered a platform to showcase real industrial parts and explore the benefits of innovative beam shaping for Additive Manufacturing, including precision, quality, cost-efficiency, and sustainability.