Fused filament fabrication of alumina components for Hall thrusters

Abstract Manufacturing and testing electric propulsion systems can be very expensive both in economic and time terms. One of the main limiting factors is the manufacturing of ceramic components, such as alumina. However, the advent of 3D printing has made it possible to produce complex-shaped components made of technical ceramics at low cost and in reduced time. This paper illustrates the advancements made by the University of Pisa in Fused Filament Fabrication of alumina components for electric propulsion purposes. Rapid prototyping can help not only in manufacturing thrusters in a faster and cheaper way but also in producing more complex geometries, resulting in more efficient thrusters. The alumina produced through this method has achieved near-full density and a flexural strength of 430 MPa. Components manufactured with this technique successfully passed vibration and pyroshock tests. This manufacturing approach was already used in the framework of the CHEOPS-VHP-BB (Consortium for Hall Effect Orbital Propulsive System-Very High Power-Building Blocks) project to produce the insulating components of a high-current hollow cathode.