Design and freeform fabrication of deployable structures with lattice skins

Purpose - Frontier environments - such as battlefields, hostile territories, remote locations, or outer space - drive the need for lightweight, deployable structures that can be stored in a compact configuration and deployed quickly and easily in the field. This paper seeks to introduce the concept of lattice skins is introduced to enable the design, solid freeform fabrication (SFF), and deployment of customizable structures with nearly arbitrary surface profile and lightweight multi-functionality.Design methodology approach - Using Duraform® FLEX material in a selective laser sintering machine, large deployable structures are fabricated in a nominal build chamber by decomposing them into smaller parts. Before fabrication, lattice sub-skins are added strategically beneath the surface of the part. The lattices provide elastic energy for folding and deploying the structure or constrain expansion upon application of internal air pressure. Nearly, arbitrary surface profiles are achievable and internal space is preserved for subsequent usage.Findings - A set of virtual and physical prototypes are presented, along with the computational modeling approach used to design them. The prototypes provide proof of concept for lattice skins as a deployment mechanism in SFF and demonstrate the effect of lattice structures on deployed shape.Research limitations implications - The research findings demonstrate not only the feasibility of a new deployment mechanism-based on lattice skins - for deploying freeform structures, but also the potential utility of SFF techniques for fabricating customized deployable structures.Originality value - A new lattice skin mechanism is introduced for deploying structures with nearly arbitrary surface profiles and open, usable, internal space. Virtual and physical prototypes are introduced for proof of concept, along with an optimization approach for automated design of these structures.