Here's a project that brought Big Blue Saw closer to the final frontier.
Sherman Lam from the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) wrote to tell us about how some of the parts from a recent order from Big Blue Saw are being used:
We’re developing a robotic gripper for the Asteroid Redirect Mission. This component (we call it a microspine) will have hooks embedded in it that adhere to rough surfaces. The [image] shows one subassembly of the gripper. This image only shows one microspine unit in the assembly but in flight, there will be 20ish microspines in the assembly. The spacecraft will have 1000s of these hooks on each gripper and it’ll use these grippers to grab onto a boulder.
Big Blue Saw helped by waterjet cutting some of the microspine 6061 alloy in 0.063 inch thickness. Here's a peek at JPL's raw design as it was uploaded to our online quoting system.
For more information about the Asteroid Redirect Mission, check out the video below.
Even if you're not bringing rocks from the heavens back to earth, Big Blue Saw can still help with your projects. Check out our gallery of example parts and upload your design to our online quoting and ordering system today.