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The PhotAM project (Feasibility Study on Novel In-Orbit Manufacturing) was carried out between August 2013 and March 2017.
The result was a prototype system for low-power deposition of Al in zero gravity. The system used incoherent light and Joule heating to melt an Al wire and subsequently deposited the metal on a substrate. The project studied different heating methods, deposition modes and geometries which could be created this way. The samples were then tested to examine interlayer bonding, microstructure and basic mechanical properties.
Final testing of the system was carried as part of the ESA 65th parabolic flight campaign in November 2016. The system performed successfully, showing that it can be used to deposit material in zero gravity, although it would need refining to make it completely reliable.
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