An Additively Manufactured, Leak-Proof NTO Swivel

Quadrus Advanced Manufacturing, LLC (QAM) is pleased to present this proposal to continue the development of an additively manufactured, highly dexterous mechanism that enables the safe, leak-free transfer of the storable hypergolic oxidizer (nitrogen tetroxide, NTO, with mixed oxides of nitrogen, MON). Our Additively manufactured Dexterous Leak-proof Interface (ADLI) is a radically simple design that uses four additively manufactured (AM) parts configured to interface with custom bellows formed from Nitinol, which is a ~50:50 alloy of nickel and titanium known for its superelastic behavior, using a proven commercial hydroforming process.nbsp; Importantly, our design uses no seals and no soft goods, yet still interfaces with propellant service valves along any vector within a full hemisphere about the hinge for the pitch axis. In short, ADLI provides the flexibility to transfer propellant from a servicing satellite, which is in a huge range of orientations relative to a client satellite with virtually any propellant service valve configuration.