![]() ![]() The project investigated the effects of consistent microgravity on melt deposition additive manufacturing of a common polymer material. In collaboration with the Mountain View, CA-based startup Made in Space, through a Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR), NASA used a 3D printer for two rounds of operations from 2014-2016. The 3D Printing in Zero G Technology Demonstration Mission.To date, in-space manufacturing demonstrations on ISS have included three initiatives: NASA’s In-Space Manufacturing Project, begun at NASA Marshall, leads the development of technologies and processes that will enable on-demand manufacturing capability as teams explore the Moon, Mars, and other habitats far from Earth. With the demonstration of successful 3D printing efforts on the International Space Station, NASA hopes to ultimately apply the additive manufacturing approach to long-duration missions like Mars exploration or sustained human operations on the lunar surface – scenarios where cargo resupply is not as readily available. One day the foam and films used to package cargo could potentially become the feedstock for manufacturing. Some plastics used on ISS are also recyclable – an important feature when considering efficiency and cost savings. The fused filament fabrication (FFF) process, the technique used by many desktop printers, works well in microgravity, is safe to operate in a crewed environment, and meets the International Space Station’s power, volume, and mass constraints. To date, NASA’s additive manufacturing efforts for the International Space Station have focused mostly on the 3D printing of polymers, or plastics. To lighten the load and reduce costs, NASA is using the ISS as a testbed to demonstrate a way of manufacturing the necessary parts in space: 3D printing. While launch costs will decrease with a greater number of rocket manufacturers and an increased frequency of launches, sending a pound of cargo to low Earth orbit currently costs about $10,000, says Prater. NASA’s “better to be safe than sorry” approach, however, means that a vast majority of parts stored on ISS are never used. When you’re 200 miles from Earth, after all, you want to make sure that you have all of your necessary supplies, from bolts to cable mounts. ![]() “There are 29,000 pounds of hardware spares/replacement units on ISS and another 39,000 pounds on the ground ready to fly when needed,” Prater told Tech Briefs. ![]() To support spaceflight missions, in fact, NASA sends up about 7,000 pounds of spare parts to the ISS every year, says Tracie Prater, a materials engineer at Marshall Space Flight Center. When planning a mission to the International Space Station, NASA’s traditional approach has been similar to how one might prepare for a long camping trip: bring everything, ‘cause we’re not going home. ![]()
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