Industry: Aerospace

Product: Desktop models of NASA telescope

The Challenge: Working with three-dimensional CAD models from General Dynamics, ART was tasked with creating 1:25 scale-models of NASA’s Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope (GLAST). Our engineers almost immediately encountered a serious complication: when shrunk to scale, certain components—including wafer-thin solar panels—became so small and fragile that they were not suitable for fabrication.

The ART Solution: Tweaking the original CAD model prior to fabrication allowed ART to create easily assembled sections for the final desktop models. We consolidated parts and assemblies into 26 components—enlarging and thickening smaller details to ensure stability and visibility. We completed 25 scale-models, with our expert craftsmen implementing every finishing detail.

The Results: The models were such a success that a second order for 25 units was placed soon after.