Photopolymer-based additive manufacturing in planetary environments: Opportunities and open questions

Polymer-based additive manufacturing (AM) has been spreading in space-related research, driven by the demand for lightweight components, geometric complexity, and functional integration.The ability of AM to produce complex geometries without conventional tooling is highly attractive for the aerospace industry.This is because development time can be shortened, and physical prototypes can be manufactured directly.Recent overviews of polymer AM technologies have highlighted their growing relevance for aerospace and prospective space applications, particularly in contexts where design freedom and multifunctionality are critical (https://doi.org/10.1039/d5mh01403d).Among the various AM technologies, photopolymerbased processes, such as stereolithography, digital light processing, and material jetting, occupy a unique position.Photopolymer systems used in additive manufacturing are typically based on acrylateor epoxy-containing formulations, often combined with oligomeric components and functional additives.These techniques rely on cross-linked polymer networks formed via photopolymerization, resulting in materials that typically exhibit higher dimensional accuracy, superior surface quality, and, in many cases, higher stiffness and strength compared to thermoplastic-based AM counterparts.The inherently cross-linked structure also provides relatively broad thermal stability windows, making photopolymers attractive for applications exposed to a wide range 215