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How we made space technology mockups for the Moscow Aviation Institute



We talk about how space models were created for the Moscow Aviation Institute (MAI), what materials and equipment were used, what difficulties arose and how they were overcome. To learn more, read the article.

About customer



Photo source: City Administration Airport, Moscow.

MAI - Moscow Aviation Institute, opened in 1930, is the largest educational and research institution in the field of aviation and astronautics in the Russian Federation. The main activity is the training of scientific and engineering personnel for work in the aerospace industry and the conduct of research and engineering work in this area.



In 2018, he entered the ranking of the best universities in the world World University Ranking according to the Times Higher Education. More than 22,000 students are studying at the institute, including about 1,500 foreign students. March 20 this year (2020) MAI turns 90 years old.

What and why did we do




Igor Vladimirovich Gumenyuk, a senior lecturer at the Moscow Aviation Institute and a contact person for this order, explained to us that the university needs mock-ups of aerospace technology as visual aids — bench copies are intended for use in military training classes, for demonstrating devices and equipment within the framework of the “Device Basics” discipline space-rocket complex. "

We were required to develop and implement large-scale models in detail. The first of them is a bench model of the Soyuz-FG launch vehicle.

LV Soyuz-FG




Scale 1:35, height 1400 mm, with a “cut out” quarter for visibility and an overview of the key nodes inside. The layout of the facility was provided by the customer.

The second part of the project is a poster copy of the Soyuz TMA-M manned spacecraft.

PKK Soyuz TMA-M




The scale of the assignment was 1: 5 of the dimensions of the real apparatus, but the product on this scale would be very overall and would consist of more parts, which would increase the lead time.

Excerpt from the technical task:

“Purpose: to demonstrate the control panel device. The bench copy is intended for use in military training in the framework of the discipline "Fundamentals of the rocket and space complex."

A bench copy is made in a ratio of 1: 5 to the actual size of the Soyuz TMA-M manned spacecraft (PKK). Height: 1,500 mm.

Placement: on cable-type fasteners, the cable is suspended under the ceiling above the desks of the classroom, the number of suspension points is at least five.

The position of the antennas and solar panels should correspond to the stage of “orbital flight”. ”


We agreed on resizing with the customer and implemented the layout on a scale of 1: 5.5. At this size, the main body elements are printed in full by the 3D printer, which not only speeds up the process, but also makes the parts more durable (compared to parts printed and glued together), and their surface is better. The widest part is 490 mm.

The third part of the task is a large-scale poster copy of the technical and launch complex for launching the Soyuz-2 launch vehicle.

TSK RN Soyuz 2




The technical and launch complex is designed for maintenance, preparation and launch of launch vehicles. The layout of the object had to be done in dozens of photographs and two building schemes. This is a schematic layout designed to demonstrate to students the elements of the infrastructure of a launch facility and their interaction with each other. Design was based on photographs of the Vostochny spaceport.

Excerpt from TK:

“Dimensions: 1800 x 1200 mm.

Options: buildings and structures of the technical and launch complex, launch pad, and the territory of the Soyuz-2 launch site and launch pad, acrylic glass dome, mounts for vertical placement on the wall with the mechanism for lowering to a horizontal position and lifting with fixing to a vertical position on the wall".




How was it done before


Before the advent of 3D printing, any teaching aids were produced in factories in huge batches, which was very good for schools that had a standard curriculum at that time, but it was completely unacceptable in cases where it was necessary to produce a single product or a micro lot in several pieces.

An alternative was to order the necessary products in one of the architectural mock-up workshops, but in manual labor this took a lot of time, and the quality of the result could disappoint.

The use of computer-aided design and 3D printing made it possible to quickly create almost any layout that has a high degree of external resemblance to the original and its exact geometry.

3D printing benefits


The main advantage of 3D printing is the lower cost and the shortest time, although this is all there and it is also important, the main thing is that you absolutely know what you get. The 3D printer prints precisely according to the digital model, the tolerances in size in this application are extremely small, and there should not be any distortions in the shape of the object, which cannot be guaranteed in manual manufacturing, where the human factor is of great importance.

Process


Soyuz-FG launch vehicle




Says Victor Naumov, senior engineer of the Top 3D Shop services department in Moscow at the time of order completion:

“First of all, we began to design the Soyuz-FG LV. Modeling was carried out in a parametric design program (CAD).




A distinctive feature of this design is that the layout is always a constructor.




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The second part of the project, namely the manned spacecraft, has become a very interesting and rather difficult task, due to the large number of internal parts that require a perfect fit.



Since the structure is suspended from the ceiling on steel cables, it must be rigid, strong, but at the same time light. This was achieved using 3D printing and adjusting the degree of filling, calculation of loads in special software (SolidWorks) and the use of the frame.



The basic steps are the same as in the previous part: design, 3D-printing, processing, painting, gluing, modeling.



There were differences. Firstly, it was necessary for us to create a structure that would hang motionless under the ceiling, having sufficiently large dimensions and considerable weight.



Secondly, this object should include embedded elements.



Thirdly, we needed to convey the texture of materials, as on the original model, combining this harmoniously with plastic elements.



We worked out the details, right up to the dashboard colors. The material of the solar panels is acrylic sheets cut on a CNC machine and coated with automotive vinyl.

The silver material on the surface of the UNION is imitated by improvised means - it is a black lining fabric dyed with acrylics.





The model was installed in the audience, attached to the ceiling using anchors with loops through which steel cables were pulled, special hooks were placed in the model, for which these cables clung.







Cosmodrome to launch the Soyuz 2 launch vehicle




Creating models of buildings is already a well-known task for us, both from our own experience in fulfilling orders and from cases of our clients .

So with this part of the task everything was easier.



Before printing, we simulated all the elements in digital form. Particularly elegant and detailed layout elements were printed on photopolymer 3D printers.



A very good method, it allows you to make neat small details with great accuracy.



After printing and post-processing, the parts were painted.





The launch pad with a gas tray was modeled from foam - manual work with the selection of material from the block. Cut, leveled, primed, painted and assembled.

Buildings and large parts were digitally printed on FDM printers.



For the layout, a stand with a wall mount was constructed, assembled on the frame from a strong steel profile and allowing to lift the layout to a vertical position when it is not in demand, and make room in the audience.



When creating the stand, the ride and load were calculated - whether the weight of the fastening to the wall, the wall and the structure can withstand it, we specially went to the customer to determine the installation location and conduct measurements.



The platform itself is made of plywood and fiberboard, 3D-printed plastic parts from ABS are also used. The top is covered with a transparent acrylic protective cap.



More photos of the layout.















Equipment and materials



Hercules Strong 2019 3D printer.

Due to the urgency of the order, printing was done in parallel on several different 3D printers, including FDM. Among them is Hercules Strong 2019, selected for its good print quality and large volume. Picaso3D Designer XPRO


3D Printer .

Picaso3D Designer XPRO is another FDM printer used, the most characteristic and interesting features of which are instant switching between two materials when printing with soluble supports or two-color plastic, and the high quality of the resulting surfaces.


3D printer Zenit .

The third who participated in the FDM project, like the first two - of domestic production, is a 3D printerZenit printing with a layer thickness of 50 microns or more. He was selected to perform this task for reliability.


Plastic for 3D printing PLA SolidFilament .

Parts were printed with PLA SolidFilament filament in different colors, as the most suitable for subsequent priming and painting.


3D printers Anycubic Photon S , Phrozen Shuffle 2019 and Formlabs Form 3 . Anycubic Photon S , Phrozen Shuffle 2019 and Formlabs Form 3 , HARZ Labs Model LCD / DLP 1 liter transparent

photopolymer 3D printers were used to print small and complex parts, resin - resin for photopolymer 3D printing.




HARZ Labs Model LCD / DLP 1 L Transparent Photopolymer was used for 3D printing of complex small parts.



On the SolidCraft CNC 6090 CNC milling machine, we cut large parts of a large area.



Difficulties and their solution


As often happens, the terms of reference were incomplete. The general features are clear, but this is not enough for production. We made an appointment with the customer and clarified all issues that raised questions. Thanks to Igor Vladimirovich Gumenyuk for the warm welcome.

First, we discussed working methods and how everything should look, and then examined the future place for installing layouts and figured out how to install them. Each stage of work on the mock-ups was coordinated with the customer, together possible solutions, colors, materials were discussed.

Conclusion




This was one of the most interesting orders for creating layouts in our practice. Once again, we became convinced of how useful 3D printing can be when creating objects of any size and shape, especially in combination with other technologies and our experience.

We are certainly pleased that the models we created will help in the education of future engineers in the space industry.



We thank the team of our service department for the excellent and timely work done, the efforts made and the creative approach.

Order the layout in the Top 3D Shop - an attentive individual approach and accurate execution in the kit.

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