Design of a planetary protection cover for EMC testing of a spacial magnetic sensor

Abstract

This paper explains the research process carried out for the development and manufacture of the planetary protection cover for carrying out the electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) tests of the an-isotropic magneto-resistance (AMR) sensor of the ExoMars 2020 mission. This mission has strict bioburden requirements. The electromagnetic properties of several materials have been analyzed in order to study their transmission coefficient and the innovation of this project is the use of fused deposition modeling (FDM) technology as manufacturing method. Additive manufacturing is presented as a promising technology in the field of radiofrequency since it can use a wide range of polymeric materials (thermoplastics) with low transmission coefficient. Observing the electromagnetic (EM) characterization results, it was decided to manufacture a protective cover using FDM technology, because it allows control over the grounding of the instrument and facilitates the integration, cleaning and protection against impacts during the manipulation, with great versatility and low cost. Finally, the cover has been verified during the acceptance EMC tests of the flight model AMR instrument.