OPTIMIZATION OF A 3D PRINTED CUBESAT BAFFLE USING RAY TRACING

This paper presents a project that aims to improve the baffle of a star tracker by stepping towards novel vane designs. The stray light reduction performance of a baffle is greatly influenced by the shape, dimensions and placement of the vanes at the inside. Using the relaxed manufacturing constraints of 3D printing, we can step away from the typical concentric cylindrical baffles and experiment with more complex baffle shapes. A simulation environment is set up using simplified ray tracing software and an iterative approach is used to simulate and assess the performance of different vane designs. A state-of-the-art and novel design was 3D printed and tested on an optical bench. Results indicate that the novel baffle reduces the influence of stray light better at low angles of incidence and performs slightly worse at higher angles of incident stray light. The results of the optical bench tests correspond well with the simulation results.

ISBN:978-0-87703-633-3

Jaar van publicatie:2016

BOF-keylabel:ja

IOF-keylabel:ja

Authors from:Higher Education

Toegankelijkheid:Closed