Metallic additive manufacturing has moved from area of interest use to a core manufacturing methodology within the area sector, pushed by demand for high-performance, low-mass elements and accelerated satellite tv for pc manufacturing cycles. Burloak Applied sciences, Canada’s largest steel AM contract producer, has invested closely in course of validation to satisfy spaceflight’s stringent necessities. Its vertically built-in capabilities—proprietary warmth therapies, Sizzling Isostatic Urgent (HIP), and superior floor ending—allow manufacturing of flight-critical {hardware} that matches or exceeds conventionally machined elements.
The rise of huge LEO constellations equivalent to Telesat Lightspeed, Starlink, and Kuiper has disrupted conventional one-off satellite tv for pc manufacturing, creating a necessity for scalable, repeatable manufacturing. AM’s capability to remove tooling, consolidate assemblies, and produce complicated RF elements—equivalent to waveguides and antennas with optimized inner geometries—has decreased lead occasions from months to weeks whereas enhancing efficiency metrics like sign integrity and mass effectivity.
Burloak’s partnership with MDA Area exemplifies this shift. The corporate is supplying over 50,000 Ka-band steel AM antennas for MDA’s AURORA software-defined satellites for the Lightspeed constellation. Excessive-performance aluminum and titanium elements are enabling MDA to scale back half counts, optimize mass, and improve RF efficiency.
MDA is scaling its manufacturing to ship two AURORA satellites per day, supported by Burloak’s capability to ramp AM and post-processing throughput in lockstep. This functionality positions AM as a aggressive differentiator within the quickly increasing satellite tv for pc financial system.
Past near-term manufacturing, the following frontier is in-space manufacturing—printing giant buildings in orbit for area stations, lunar habitats, and deep-space missions. This might bypass launch constraints and allow on-site building and restore, rising mission flexibility and lowering value.
Metallic AM has now matured into a vital aerospace manufacturing know-how, with validated processes, certified supplies, and confirmed flight heritage. Firms integrating AM at scale into their provide chains will acquire velocity, flexibility, and efficiency benefits in a market the place time-to-orbit is more and more vital. For Burloak and MDA, the know-how shouldn’t be a aspect functionality—it’s a basis for a way next-generation area {hardware} is constructed.
