A Decision Support Framework for Additive Manufacturing of Space Satellite Systems

The space industry has seen promising advancements in additive manufacturing (AM) technologies, including the production of rocket engines and spacecraft components. Nevertheless, AM adoption decisions are still complex due to the many considerations, uncertainties, and stakeholders involved. This paper proposes and demonstrates a decision support framework – including a utility theory-based decision engine that was developed in-house – to support users in evaluating AM-use options. The key decision attributes (i.e., performance, cost, and time) of a space satellite bracket assembly were identified through a requirements definition process. Utility functions representing different decision-maker risk preferences were defined based on relevant spacecraft operating conditions. Attribute data for machine-material pair options were also quantified using data sheets, AM cost, and build-time models. The utility functions, attribute values, and attribute weights were input to the decision engine software for a machine-material pair recommendation. A sensitivity analysis was conducted by varying the utility functions, attribute weights, build volume, and applying “hard constraints”. The results demonstrated the versatility and applicability of the decision framework and engine in tackling AM machine-material pair selection problems, including for the satellite design and manufacturing use case.