University of South Australia Opens Metal 3D Printing Facility Dedicated to Space Parts

The University of South Australia (UniSA) has opened a metal additive manufacturing (AM) facility in Adelaide, focused on R&D into producing components for the space applications. The facility is located at a site owned by one of the industry partners in the project, VPG Innovation, one of seven companies comprising Stärke-AMG.

UniSA’s metal 3D printing facility is part of a program called iLAuNCH — announced in 2022 and backed by A$180 million (~$120 million US) in funding from government, private industry, and academia — which aims to build “a sovereign space industry for Australia.” In particular, the UniSA iLAuNCH group will focus on using AM to produce optical components for space applications.

For instance, at the time iLAuNCH was first announced, UniSA’s lead in the research program mentioned the development of a “satellite selfie stick,” intended to improve ground observation of satellite systems. In addition to VPG Innovation, other industry partners in the program, which currently entails four different R&D projects, include SMR Automotive Australia and Northrop Grumman.

Australia from space at night with city lights of Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, view of Oceania, Australian desert, communication technology, 3d render of planet Earth, elements from NASA. Image courtesy of UniSA

In a press release about the new metal 3D printing facility , the Deputy Premier of South Australia, Susan Close MP, said, “This 3D printing technology makes it possible to rapidly manufacture custom-made parts and other space infrastructure that can save businesses time and cost. The facility will support a sovereign manufacturing capability that will create new jobs and lead to global exports within the space industry. It will add to our state’s competitive manufacturing advantage and will fill a critical gap in the burgeoning space sector.”

Australia’s Federal Assistant Minister for Education, Senator Anthony Chisholm, said, “Our government is committed to supporting collaborative initiatives, such as the iLAuNCH Trailblazer, which are set to produce innovative solutions that bolster our nation’s space exploration capabilities, create more employment opportunities and grow our economy. It’s excellent to see our universities working with industry partners to advance the space manufacturing sector by investing in technologies that are developed by Australians and commercialized through local company partnerships.”

Image courtesy of iLAuNCH

While the submarine angle to the trilateral relationship between Australia, the UK, and the US (AUKUS) has justifiably gotten the most attention thus far, it’s important to note here that AUKUS spans across a variety of cutting-edge technological arenas, including space. Last December, in fact, in a meeting between the heads of defense from each AUKUS country, the international partners highlighted space surveillance as one of the key areas of collaboration for Pillar II of AUKUS.

Thus, it would seem like a good bet that beneficiaries of AUKUS Pillar I (nuclear submarines), namely SPEE3D and AML3D, will ultimately get in on Australia’s space industry ramp-up, as well. As much as those two companies have excelled at applications for the maritime industry, one of AUKUS’ primary goals is obviously to spread the advanced manufacturing know-how as broadly as possible. For this and other reasons, crossover applications between maritime and space may be an area especially rife with possibilities for metal AM players.