The Exoplanet Climate Infrared Telescope (EXCITE) is a NASA mission that will use a large balloon to carry a telescope to the edge of space above Antarctica, where it will measure the atmospheric compositions of planets orbiting other stars. The telescope assembly needs brackets delivering high stiffness with low mass, and the engineering team at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center is using a combination of artificial intelligence (Generative Design with Autodesk Fusion) and additive manufacturing to obtain this hardware. The so-called "evolved structures" realized through generative design are so geometrically complex that metal 3D printing via laser powder bed fusion offers a practical way to produce them - and in the case of a large titanium bracket, offers the only cost-effective method.

Rocket Engine Development
A partnership led to the creation of an ethalox rocket engine with a maximum thrust of 630 lbf. Utilizing metal 3D printing, the team developed complex internal flow channels and optimized geometries, streamlining development and enhancing performance.

Semiconductor Manufacturing Enhancement
Collaborative efforts resulted in the design of a dual-wall cooling chuck featuring a TPMS-inspired structure. This innovation improves temperature uniformity, a critical factor in precision semiconductor manufacturing.

Innovations in Heat Exchanger Design
A new liquid heat exchanger was developed using a space-filling tree algorithm to maximize surface area. This design enhances cooling efficiency, demonstrating the potential of computational design in additive manufacturing.

Advancements in Turbine Blade Technology
In the aerospace sector, turbine blades were created with capillary cooling channels and gyroid structures.