CSEM and Almatech demonstrate a reusable, 3D-printed shock absorber for space landers

In the ESA-supported RESHAPE project, Neuchâtel-based CSEM and Almatech have demonstrated a reusable shock absorber made of 3D-printed shape memory alloy, designed to make future lunar and planetary landers lighter, simpler and more sustainable.

CSEM and Almatech have demonstrated a reusable shock absorber for landing gear in RESHAPE, a project supported by the European Space Agency (ESA). The absorber is 3D-printed from nickel-titanium shape memory alloy, and is intended for future lunar and planetary landers.

From material to full-scale design

CSEM led the project from concept to demonstration. Its team selected and narrowed down the lattice geometries, developed the manufacturing parameters for fine nickel-titanium lattices, produced by laser powder bed fusion, a process that requires careful control, and ran quasi-static, high-speed impact and reusability tests. Almatech used these test data to analyze the landing-leg system and translate the material’s behavior at laboratory scale into a full-scale shock absorber design.

Vaclav Pejchal, Material & Technology Expert at CSEM, says that RESHAPE demonstrates that shape memory alloy lattice structures can deliver predictable and reusable impact absorption, and that combining these alloys with additive manufacturing lets the team rethink components that have remained largely unchanged for decades. Dr. Fabrice Rottmeier, Chief Technology Officer of Almatech, describes the collaboration as very positive, pairing CSEM’s technological expertise with Almatech’s space engineering to turn ideas into solutions for space missions.

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