First-Ever 3D-Printed Object Created In Space

Chuck Bednar for redOrbit.com – Your Universe Online
The 3D printer onboard the International Space Station (ISS) has created the first-ever object made in space using additive manufacturing: a faceplate for the extruder printhead which identifies the company that designed and built the equipment used in the process (Made In Space) and was emblazoned with the NASA logo.
While the object itself is nothing too special, it does successfully demonstrate the feasibility of astronauts creating their own tools and parts while in a zero-gravity environment, CNET’s Michelle Starr explained, and it could help pave the way for future long-term space expeditions by removing the need to have equipment delivered from Earth.
“When the first human fashioned a tool from a rock, it couldn’t have been conceived that one day we’d be replicating the same fundamental idea in space,” Made In Space CEO Aaron Kemmer told Starr on Wednesday. “We look at the operation of the 3D printer as a transformative moment, not just for space development, but for the capability of our species to live away from Earth.”
“This first print is the initial step toward providing an on-demand machine shop capability away from Earth,” Niki Werkheiser, project manager for the International Space Station 3-D Printer at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, added in a statement. “The space station is the only laboratory where we can fully test this technology in space.”
The 3D printer was installed on the space station by Expedition 42 commander and NASA astronaut Barry “Butch” Wilmore on November 17, during which time the first calibration test print was conducted, the US space agency said. Based on the results of that test-printing, ground control personnel sent instructions to realign the printer and conducted a second test on November 20, the results of which verified the printer was ready for manufacturing operations.
On Monday, Wilmore and his crew received the go-ahead to create the faceplate of the extruder casing, not only creating the first 3D part ever printed in space but also demonstrating that the printing equipment can fabricate replacement parts for itself. The additive manufacturing process requires that a relatively low-temperature plastic filament be heated and extruded one layer at a time to build a part defined by the preprogrammed design.
Wilmore removed the part from the printer and inspected it on Wednesday, NASA said. He reported that part adhesion on the tray was stronger than anticipated, which means the microgravity environment could have an impact on layer bonding – something the crew will need to investigate in future 3D printing attempts. A new print tray was installed, and the ground team requested the printer alignment to be tweaked and a third calibration test. Once that is complete, the ISS crew will be able to order the printer to produce a second object.
“This is the first time we’ve ever used a 3-D printer in space, and we are learning, even from these initial operations,” explained Werkheiser. “As we print more parts we’ll be able to learn whether some of the effects we are seeing are caused by microgravity or just part of the normal fine-tuning process for printing. When we get the parts back on Earth, we’ll be able to do a more detailed analysis to find out how they compare to parts printed on Earth.”
“It’ll be a while before there’s significant progress,” noted Jon Fingas of Engadget. “More 3D-printed objects are coming, but they won’t come back to Earth for studies until early 2015. And like you’d imagine, it’ll take longer still before spaceborne printing is truly ready for prime time. Eventually, though, NASA expects spacecraft to be 3D printing their own spare parts, saving crews from having to carry a lot of extra supplies just in case something goes wrong.”

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