In 2014 the European Space Agency (ESA) Rosetta spacecraft will reach the comet Churyumov–Gerasimenko, it will orbit the comet and release its Philae lander. To ensure a safe landing, the lander's legs are made of lightweight carbon fibre rods.
The rods are six times lighter than steel, but can be made up to 50% stiffer. Designed by Schutze, a German company in Braunschweig, the 'sandwich rods' have a lightweight, rigid foam core wrapped in carbon fibre and coated with thin fibreglass. As well as the lander legs, the folding antenna and frame of Rosetta are also based on the lightweight rods.
"No mould is necessary, making the production of tailored rod dimensions feasible," said director Rainer Schütze. "The carbon fibre sandwich rods combine high strength and stiffness with very low weight."
Via the ESA's Technology Transfer Program, the rods' special qualities are being utilised by Trumpf after ESA's technology broker MST Aerospace recognised the opportunity.
"Probably the co-operation would not have taken place without MST making the connection," commented Mr Schütze.
Trumpf was looking for ways to improve laser cutting machines making extremely precise, extremely complex shapes out of large sheets of metal. Inside the machine, two laser cutting heads are fixed to a crossbar that together weigh 620 kg but move extremely quickly. To make the precision cuts needed, the laser beams are required to stop and turn in the blink of an eye.
By mounting the laser cutting heads on the light but stiff carbon fibre rods, machine speed and precision have been improved.
