Duration: 18 months
The success of future space missions relies on zero-defect components. Additive manufacturing has advanced significantly for space applications, but most current workflows remain open-loop, following a fabricate – inspect – accept/reject approach, resulting in long qualification cycles, high scrap rates and limited suitability for space manufacturing. SHIELD addresses this limitation by introducing a closed-loop, self-corrective AM concept of defects prevention during fabrication instead of later detecting, approach involving multi-modal, in-situ monitoring, combining optical, thermal and acoustic sensing, directly into the manufacturing process. Layer-wise data are analysed in real time to identify early defect precursors such as unstable extrusion, thermal anomalies or geometric drift, enabling timely corrective actions during built. A key element is a Digital Twin representing nominal geometry, process state and accumulated build history, continuously updated during fabrication using in-situ measurements and applied corrections. It acts as a decision and verification support tool, enabling adaptive defect detection thresholds, prediction of deviation propagation and traceable comparison between expected and as-built states in line with ECSS principles. Corrective actions are aligned with ECSS material and process standards, and are applied during fabrication, ideally within the same layer, to prevent defect accumulation. All deviations and interventions are logged to ensure full traceability. The concept is demonstrated on polymer FDM process selected through preliminary trade-off based on controllability, software openness and sensor integration feasibility. Validation follows an experimental approach, from test coupons to a space-relevant component, providing objective evidence of TRL 3. By embedding QA within the AM process, SHIELD supports shorter qualification timelines, improved reliability, and future autonomous in-space manufacturing.
