Design and Prototyping of a Lunar Rover Wheel Using Additive Layer Manufacturing
Gaetano IPPOLITO, Rosario BORRELLI, Stefania FRANCHITTI, Marco RUSSO, Nunzia FAVALORO
Abstract. The continued global interest in human and robotic Moon exploration has ramped up the demand for innovative engineering solutions that can overcome the challenges of the harsh lunar environment. These challenges include extreme temperature fluctuations, abrasive regolith particles, ionising radiation, low gravity, and the constraints of transporting equipment or spare parts from Earth. In this context, the development of robotic systems and components requires a careful balance among structural performance, weight efficiency, and manufacturability. This paper presents a case study, performed in the framework of the CIRA-TEDS Program [1], on the design and manufacture of a lunar mini rover’s wheel prototype, using additive layer manufacturing (ALM) and design for additive manufacturing (DfAM) techniques. Starting from high-level mission and environmental requirements, a reverse integration process ensures alignment between system objectives and wheel design. A hybrid design approach combining Topological Optimisation (TO) and Generative Design (GD) was applied, supported by Finite Element Method (FEM) analysis to evaluate structural behaviour and guide iterative improvements. The wheel was manufactured in Ti6Al4V using Electron Beam Powder Bed Fusion (EB-PBF). Although physical testing is planned, current results show that GD outperforms conventional designs in stress distribution and weight reduction. The study proposes a replicable framework integrating system-level requirements, DfAM, and ALM to accelerate the development of space-ready hardware for future lunar and planetary missions.
Keywords
Space Exploration, Technologies, Rover, Wheel, FEM, ALM, DfAM, EB-PBF
Published online 7/20/2026, 6 pages
Copyright © 2026 by the author(s)
Published under license by Materials Research Forum LLC., Millersville PA, USA
Citation: Gaetano IPPOLITO, Rosario BORRELLI, Stefania FRANCHITTI, Marco RUSSO, Nunzia FAVALORO, Design and Prototyping of a Lunar Rover Wheel Using Additive Layer Manufacturing, Materials Research Proceedings, Vol. 69, pp 1438-1443, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.21741/9781644904251-252
The article was published as article 252 of the book CEAS – AIDAA Conference 2025
Content from this work may be used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license. Any further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the title of the work, journal citation and DOI.
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