The Melt-In-Place Stations, or MIPS, are the key to early robotic construction. They are made of simple and light components, but when combined with agile robots, are capable of making basic construction materials in bulk. 

![view of MIP station](https://www.moonwards.com/img/MIPstation.jpg)


### Sieving, Laying, and Tamping
The loose powder regolith that composes the top 10 cm or so of the lunar surface is the best material for the MIPS, as it is easily scooped up, sieved, and tamped into an even consistent layer on the MIP bed. 
* The GP rovers collect this powder and dump it through sieving screens so that only particles of less than 3 mm diameter fill the large hopper that sits beyond the end of the melting bed. 
* As needed, that hopper rolls along the rails above the bed, releasing a stream of powder from a slot that opens for this on the bottom of it. As it rolls back, a flap evens the layer flat. 
* A separate tamping and spreading device is also needed, to compress the material for even melting of greatest depth. This is not in the current model. It would also sometimes need to tamp material over a layer that is molten, so needs a mode for that situation.

### The Scanning Lens and Shutters
* The best material for this, for durability, precision, and best light transmission, is sapphire. 
* Fresnel lenses are used, as large as works best to quickly melt the regolith to a depth of 0.5 to 1 cm. This will require experimentation to refine. There needs to be rapid melting to a good depth without much vaporizing of the material. It may be desirable for the lenses to first preheat the material by passing over it with light that is less concentrated, for instance. 
### Embedding of Fibers

### Rover Work - Final Cutting and Shaping, Delivery of Feedstock, Removal of Finished Pieces

### Deep-Bed Side Station with Moving Bed

Notes: This is a case where simulation of the work in good CAD software can aid in making a more realistic design. Using Simscale to model heat absorption can be used to size and configure the lenses and determine the best methodology. It is not important in the near future, though.