Fagor Automation and AVS collaborate together to work in the space sector. The companies Added Value Solutions (AVS) and Fagor Automation started a collaboration two years ago to develop an encoder for space applications capable of meeting the demanding requirements of current and future missions.
AVS develops for the space sector mechanisms for space applications for robotics, specifically for space exploration, instrumentation for earth observation, thermal control systems for communication satellites and electric thrusters.
Fagor Automation is a company that is part of MONDRAGON Corporation, with extensive experience in developing and manufacturing automation and machine control products. It stands out for its software development capacity and the flexibility of its production system to offer customized solutions, depending on the needs of the customers.
Typically the mechanisms must include an element for measuring the position of the moving parts. The systems that require such elements are: altitude control system, solar panels, antenna pointing, door opening, propeller pointing, instrument deployment, etc. In many of these cases, the measurement element is critical for the operation of the equipment, since parameters such as accuracy and resolution are linked to their operation. In addition, these devices must operate in the demanding environmental conditions of space, ie, radiation, high temperature gradients, vacuum, etc.
AVS provides its experience in developing mechanisms and instrumentation for space missions to carry out the qualification of the new product, and Fagor Automation its leadership and R&D capacity with its own technologies in the four fields involved in the manufacture of encoders: mechanics, optics, electronics and software.
This collaboration has resulted in a product that has just successfully passed the functional tests and will be qualified in the coming months.
This development will allow AVS to improve the precision of its mechanisms, enhancing its offer for highly demanding areas such as earth observation, and improving its market positioning in the development of space mechanisms. Likewise, this will allow Fagor Automation to enter the space sector.
