Factory Equipment Production

TL;DR

  • Purpose: Manufacturing equipment for new factories
  • Components: Continuous caster, rolling mill, WAAM cells, grinding cells, cranes, assembly jigs
  • Technologies: WAAM 3D printing + abrasive grinding + assembly
  • Time: ~4 weeks per equipment set for 1 factory

Overview

Each new factory requires an equipment set: casting machines (CCM), rolling mills, robotic cells. Equipment is produced at replicator factories (F-R) in the “Equipment Assembly” zone (200 m²).

Equipment Set for a New Factory

Equipment Mass Material Technology
Continuous caster (2 units) ~10 t Fe frame + local crystallizer WAAM + casting
Rolling mill (6 stands) ~15 t Fe WAAM + casting
Wire drawing mill ~3 t Fe + Si₃N₄ dies WAAM + ceramics (local)
WAAM cells (3 units) ~5 t Fe + Al WAAM + assembly
Grinding cells (2 units) ~3 t Fe + Al WAAM + assembly
Overhead crane (1 t) ~2 t Fe + Al WAAM + assembly
Assembly jig (10 positions) ~5 t Fe + Al WAAM + welding
Roller conveyors ~3 t Fe + Al Rolling + welding
TOTAL ~46 t*

*~51 t when packaged for transport (includes fixtures and crates).

Production Process

flowchart TD
    subgraph INPUT["MATERIALS"]
        AL["Aluminum<br/>sheets, wire"]
        FE["Iron<br/>profiles, wire"]
        IMPORT["Imports<br/>electronics"]
    end

    subgraph FABRICATION["PARTS FABRICATION"]
        WAAM["WAAM 3D printing<br/>housings, frames"]
        GRIND["Abrasive grinding<br/>finish machining"]
        CASTING["Casting<br/>rolling mill rolls"]
    end

    subgraph ASSEMBLY["EQUIPMENT ASSEMBLY"]
        MNLZ_ASM["Caster assembly"]
        MILL_ASM["Rolling mill assembly"]
        ROBOT_ASM["WAAM cell assembly"]
    end

    subgraph OUTPUT["OUTPUT"]
        EQUIPMENT["Equipment set<br/>for new factory"]
    end

    AL --> WAAM
    FE --> WAAM
    FE --> CASTING
    IMPORT --> MNLZ_ASM
    WAAM --> GRIND
    GRIND --> MNLZ_ASM
    GRIND --> MILL_ASM
    GRIND --> ROBOT_ASM
    CASTING --> MILL_ASM
    MNLZ_ASM --> EQUIPMENT
    MILL_ASM --> EQUIPMENT
    ROBOT_ASM --> EQUIPMENT

    style INPUT fill:#f0e68c
    style FABRICATION fill:#fff3cd
    style ASSEMBLY fill:#d4edda
    style OUTPUT fill:#cce5ff

Key Equipment

Continuous Caster (MNLZ)

Component Mass Material Technology
Frame ~4 t Fe WAAM + welding
Crystallizer (CCM-Al) ~0.5 t Fe-6%Mn steel + MgO coating Casting + coating (local)
Crystallizer (CCM-Fe) ~0.5 t MgO ceramic Sintering (local)
Pulling rolls (4 pairs) ~2 t Steel + ceramics Casting + coating
NaK cooling system ~1 t Al tubes Rolling + welding
Automation ~0.3 t Electronics Import from Earth
Roller conveyor ~1 t Al Rolling + welding

Production time: 5-7 days (for 2 casters)

100% local crystallizer materials: Steel for Al (margin ~900°C), MgO ceramic for Fe (margin ~1300°C). No import required.

Details: Continuous Casting

Rolling Mill (6 stands)

Component Mass Material Technology
Frame (6 stands) ~8 t Fe WAAM + welding
Rolls (12 pcs, 2 per stand) ~5 t Hardened steel Casting + heat treatment
Drive motors (6 pcs) ~1 t Al windings Assembly (local)
Inter-stand conveyors ~1 t Al Rolling + welding

Production time: 7-10 days

Critical parts: - Rolls — require hardening (heat treatment to HRC 55-60) - Al₂O₃ bearings — 100% local production (ceramic from regolith)

Details: Rolling Mill

WAAM Cells (3 units)

Component Mass per cell Material Technology
6-axis robot arm ~0.8 t Al + Fe WAAM + assembly
Welding torch ~10 kg Fe + Cu Assembly + import
Rotary table ~0.5 t Fe + Al WAAM + electronics
Control unit ~50 kg Al housing + boards Housing local, boards import (~5 kg)

Production time: 3-5 days for 3 cells

Critical import: Electronics boards only (~5 kg/unit). Housings — local WAAM production.

Details: WAAM 3D Printing

Grinding Cells (2 units)

Component Mass per cell Material Technology
6-axis robot arm ~0.8 t Al + Fe WAAM + assembly
Abrasive head ~50 kg Fe + Al₂O₃ Local production
Rotary table ~0.5 t Fe + Al WAAM + electronics
Control unit ~50 kg Al housing + boards Housing local, boards import (~5 kg)

Production time: 3-5 days for 2 cells

Advantages over CNC: - No imported high-speed spindle (saves ~0.4 t/factory) - Al₂O₃ abrasive (corundum) — 100% local production from regolith - Same Centaur-M robot as WAAM — standardization - Dry machining in vacuum (no coolant)

Machining accuracy: ±0.05 mm (sufficient for housings and frames)

Details: WAAM 3D Printing — post-processing

Overhead Crane (1 t)

Component Mass Material Technology
Main beam ~1 t Fe WAAM + welding
Trolley ~0.5 t Fe + Al Assembly
Hoist ~0.3 t Fe + Fe-Mn cable Wire drawing + stranding (local)
Electric drive ~0.2 t Al windings Assembly (local)

Lifting capacity: 1 ton

Span: 30 m (dome width)

Production time: 3-5 days

Material Balance

Per 1 equipment set (~46 t):

Material Mass Source
Iron (Fe) ~30 t Regolith processing
Aluminum (Al) ~10 t Regolith processing
Al₂O₃ (abrasive + bearings) ~1 t Regolith processing
Electronics boards ~55 kg Import from Earth

Localization: ~99.9% by mass

Critical import: ~55 kg per factory (boards only, housings local)

Import breakdown: - MNLZ automation boards (2 units): ~30 kg - Control unit boards (5 units): ~25 kg

Savings vs CNC: Eliminating imported spindles = ~660 t savings across 1,645 factories

Production Timeline

Week Work
1 Fabricate caster parts (WAAM + grinding)
2 Assemble casters + fabricate rolling mill rolls
3 Assemble rolling mill + fabricate WAAM cells
4 Assemble grinding cells + overhead crane
TOTAL ~4 weeks per set

Parallelism: When producing equipment for multiple factories, processes run in parallel.

Equipment Testing

Before shipping to a new factory, equipment undergoes acceptance testing.

Equipment Test Criterion
Caster Trial casting (100 kg Al) Ingot without cracks
Rolling mill Rolling billet 100×100 → Ø20 mm Profile within ±1 mm tolerance
WAAM cell Print test part (100 mm cube) Dimensions ±0.5 mm, porosity <2%
Grinding cell Machine test part Precision ±0.05 mm, surface finish
Overhead crane Lift 1.5 t (150% load) No deformation

Testing time: 2-3 days

Transportation and Installation

After production, equipment is transported to the new factory.

Stage Time Robots
Disassembly and packing 1 day 4 Centaurs-M
Transportation 1 day 6 Crabs-M
Installation inside dome 2 days 8 Centaurs-M
Power and automation connection 1 day 4 Centaurs-M
Commissioning 1 day Automation + 2 Centaurs-M
TOTAL 6 days

Production Energy Consumption

Component Power
WAAM cells (3 units) 30 kW
Grinding cells (2 units) 10 kW
Casting furnaces 50 kW
Welding stations 20 kW
Cranes and transport 10 kW
TOTAL ~120 kW

Equipment Maintenance

After installation, equipment requires periodic maintenance.

Operation Frequency Performer
Bearing lubrication Weekly Centaur-M
Machine calibration Monthly Automation
Rolling mill roll replacement 1 month Centaur-M (4 robots, 6 hours)
Wire drawing die replacement 1 month Centaur-M
Electronics repair As needed Centaur-M + spare parts import

See Also