Advanced Tape Layer Additive Manufacturing (ATLAM) combines the structural performance of automated tape laying with the geometric freedom of additive manufacturing. A Geometric Projection Topology Optimisation (GPTO) framework has been developed for ATLAM that simultaneously optimises structural stiffness and eco-efficiency, but had not yet been experimentally validated. This thesis develops a desktop-scale ATLAM workflow using a conventional FDM printer with an in-house automated compactor tool to embed continuous carbon fibre reinforced tapes within a thermoplastic substrate. Four topology-optimised Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm beam designs were manufactured and tested. The finite element model accurately predicts substrate-only stiffness within 7%, but overpredicts tape-reinforced stiffness by up to 88.5%, attributed to a shear lag effect. Despite this, GPTO achieves the highest stiffness-to-weight ratio of 9.78 kN/mm/kg and leads all designs on stiffness-to-embodied-CO₂, outperforming the density-based industry standard and demonstrating the potential of GPTO for eco-efficient ATLAM structural design.

Solutions for reducing greenhouse gas emissions are paramount under the current environmental circumstances. With methane and carbon dioxide being the most critical emission gasses, SigmaSat set out to find a way to reduce these emissions and simultaneously fulfill its scientific mission. While executing the scientific mission of designing a small satellite mission to demonstrate the latest advances in artificial intelligence, SigmaSat managed to devise a design that allows players in the energy production industry (such as refineries) to drastically reduce their methane and CO2 emissions.