Applications

From -250°C to 1000°C powered by space tech

11/06/2019 1625 views 1 likes

ESA / Applications / Technology Transfer

Meet ESA BIC start-up TIWARI Scientific Instruments at Paris Air Lab 17/6 and learn about their advanced wide-temperature thermal measurement and test systems for materials developed based on space technology, and their additive manufacturing advanced metal and ceramic components services.

“TIWARI Scientific Instruments – TSI – specializes in technology transfer, identifying promising technologies developed for space missions for their benefit on Earth as well as adopting emerging terrestrial technologies for the space missions of the future,” says Siddharth Tiwari, Managing Director of TIWARI Scientific Instruments.

Hosted at ESA BIC Hessen & Baden-Württemberg, the start-up has developed three items, the thermal conductivity measurement instrument SHIEL3D, the RAPTOR using the Fused Filament Fabrication technique to produce ceramic and metallic parts with a 3D-printer and thermal test chambers (-200°C to 1600°C) providing an end-to-end solution to its customers.

SHIEL3D

SHIEL3D is a thermal conductivity measurement instrument, based on a space technology, that can determine the thermal conductivity of thermal insulation materials in a matter of minutes.

The instrument covers an extended temperature range from -250°C (cryogenic materials) to 1000°C (fire-resistant materials).

With a bulk of the buildings in EU being old and energy inefficient, necessitating large amounts of energy for heating of homes and offices, TSI hopes to assist the material developers with their constant efforts in developing new solutions and materials with the SHIEL3D instrument.

SHIEL3D can precisely yield the thermal properties of building materials like mineral wools and foams, and in return reduce the C02 emissions in EU while also making homes and offices safer.

RAPTOR
The Rapid Prototyping of Resistant Materials RAPTOR aims at solving the notorious “6 to 8 weeks” problem in the manufacturing industry. The “6 to 8 weeks” problem refers to the standard manufacturing and delivery times of high precision parts which are often used in the aerospace sector and are more often than not a major cause for delays in engineering projects.

Propulsion components produced by RAPTOR

With the RAPTOR, TSI utilizes the Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) technique to produce ceramic and metallic parts with a 3D-printer working with special filaments. The 3D printed-parts parts are then eliminated of any non-metallic or non-ceramic component with the help of heat treatment at high temperatures, yielding pure and resistant parts suitable for all engineering applications in a matter of days.

This cost-effective technique is an order of magnitude cheaper than other contemporary AM techniques when it comes to price per kilogram of manufactured part , and can be customised to suit the client’s needs in terms of both type of material production and initial capital investment for the machinery.

The RAPTOR is available both as a service and complete production system (printer and heat treatment equipment), and can be currently used for production of parts with the following materials: alumina, zirconia and stainless steel.

Thermal test chambers

With its thermal test chambers, ranging from -200°C to 1600°C, TSI aims at providing an end-to-end solution to its customers and thus establishing itself as a one-stop solution for the customer’s complete thermal testing needs.

These chambers are designed to be compatible with both the SHIEL3D and RAPTOR products. In addition the chambers can also be customised for qualification of satellites to check for their survivability in the cryogenic temperatures of space and for materials requiring heat treatment at very high temperatures.

Hosted at ESA BIC Hessen & Baden-Württemberg, Darmstadt location

TIWARI Scientific Instruments has been selected to be part of the ESA Business Incubation Centre (ESA BIC) Hessen & Baden-Württemberg at its Darmstadt location, where from March 2019 they will receive support to further develop and commercialize their thermal conductivity measurement instrumentation all based on spin-off from ESA space programmes.

“We want to act as a connecting link between Space and Industrial research, bringing the two worlds together for the creation of a sustainable planet as well as sustainable exploration efforts of what lies beyond us,” emphasises Siddharth Tiwari.

Hear TIWARI pitching at the INNOVATION STAGE 16:15-17:15

Meet the TIWARI Scientific Instruments entrepreneurs at the PARIS AIR LAB at Paris Air Show 17 June at their stand EXPLORE S9.

PARIS AIR LAB - Paris Air Show

AN EXHIBITION DEDICATED TO INNOVATION FOR AEROSPACE
After the success of its first edition 2 years ago, Paris Air Lab returns at the heart of the Paris Air Show, in the Concorde hall, with 3,000 m² dedicated to innovation and prospective in the aerospace, an industry decisively open to the future. Mobilities of tomorrow, AI, exploration and environment; Paris Air Lab will focus on major topics in the field.

Spotlight on industrial innovations and startups
Twelve booths are dedicated to 80 new comers: startups from more than 20 countries around the world display their projects and present their work. Discover important innovation programs through 12 collaborative booths around 4 key areas:

- ENABLE, focusing on innovative technologies in the industry
- PROTECT, dedicated to the sustainable aerospace industry
- TRAVEL, focused on the future of aeronautics mobility
- EXPLORE, featuring iconic space missions.

In the heart of Paris Air Lab, the booth «Understanding climate change» shows how planes and satellites contribute to the monitoring of climate change through embedded devices.

ESA Business Applications and Space Solutions

ESA’s Business Applications and Space Solutions programme has a network of 20 ESA Business Incubation Centres, 15 ESA Innovation Partners and 14 ESA Ambassadors throughout Europe. It co-funds projects and start-ups, while also offering technical and business support to companies that seek to deliver rapid innovation and to raise private investment.

Overall ESA spends €400 million a year on strengthening the competitiveness of European and Canadian companies in the global markets for both satellite communications andr downstream applications.

ESA BICs - World's largest ecosystem for space-related entrepreneurship
The ESA Business Incubation Centre Hessen & Baden-Württemberg was founded in 2007 and it part of the wider network of 20 ESA BICs throughput Europe.

The 20 ESA Business Incubation Centres (ESA BICs) form the largest ecosystem in the world for space-related entrepreneurship and have fostered over 700 start-ups throughout Europe. Spread across some 60 cities in 17 countries, more than 300 start-ups are currently under the two-year business incubation development booster programme.

The centres offer complete access to all aspects of space-related innovation, technology and intellectual properties and is a gateway to ESA and European space research and developments. Located in Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the Netherlands and UK, with more to open, over 700 start-ups have been fostered and another 180 new start-ups are taken in yearly to be supported under the two-years business development booster programme.