MUSE ENGINE INC — National Aeronautics and Space Administration SBIR Phase I: Z4

Description

The ability to manufacture small to large batch productions on demand in low gravity environments is imperative for the expansion of low orbit manufacturing and lunar colonization.nbsp;Injection molding is one of the most common manufacturing processes and is used to make large and small components. It is also used for developing both polymer and metal composites. Two benefits of injection molding systems are that they are self-contained and do not require gravity to work.nbsp;The Rapidly Configurable Mold and Cavity System (RCMCS) differs from current injection molding processes by utilizing Muse Enginersquo;s patent pending rapidly configurable, reusable mold and cavity system. The RCMCS saves both tooling costs and time which reduces the threshold to get a product manufactured and can essentially turn traditional injection molding into an additive manufacturing process. The RCMCS consists of two reconfigurable cavities that are integrated and locked into a specialized mold used during a traditional injection molding process. Each plate consists of reconfiguring pins and a locking system.nbsp;The core of the RCMCSnbsp;lies in the technical development of the ldquo;pin artrdquo; childrenrsquo;s toy into an industry tool that is highly reconfigurable and can be used to translate computer aided design (CAD) parts to a format ready for the manufacturing line in a matter of minutes.nbsp;Muse Engine is proposing the development of a manually configurable RCMCS and its integration into existing injection molding systems. This system will demonstrate both the feasibility and commercialization of the proposed RCMCS.