University of Glasgow Builds Facility to Test Structural Integrity of 3D Printing Materials in Space

Researchers at the University of Glasgow James Watt School of Engineering, led by Dr. Gilles Bailet, collaborated with The Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) to build they call the first dedicated facility for testing the structural integrity of materials 3D printed in space. Supported by funding from the UK Space Agency, the NextSpace TestRig could help the space industry dodge a major bullet in the form of space debris.

The space manufacturing sector is working to change how we send materials and objects into orbit. The more things we pack into a spaceship, the heavier it is, and the more difficult and expensive to send into orbit. That’s why there’s been so much work over the past decade to create 3D printers that operate in space, like Photocentric’s CosmicMaker and UC Berkeley’s SpaceCAL. However, while it’s less costly to have these specialized 3D printers build structures and devices like solar reflectors in orbit, our problems don’t end there.

Any object in space has to be able to endure a hard vacuum that goes back and forth between extreme temperatures, and this can cause all sorts of problems to the structure of 3D printed materials if they’re not well-made. Defects or imperfections in a 3D printed part, such as poorly melted sections or tiny bubbles, might not always be a major issue on Earth, but could wreak havoc in outer space. 3D printed objects could shatter, which would send fragments hurtling into orbit to join the rest of the space junk floating around in the void. That’s where the NextSpace TestRig comes in.

A piece of outer space has essentially been recreated in this basement facility in Glasgow, for the specific purpose of making sure that ceramic, polymer, and metal materials 3D printed in orbit will be able to hold up under the extreme physical strains of outer space.

“3D printing is a very promising technology for allowing us to build very complex structures directly in orbit instead of taking them into space on rockets. It could enable us to create a wide variety of devices, from lightweight communications antennas to solar reflectors to structural parts of spacecraft or even human habitats for missions to the Moon and beyond,” explained Dr. Bailet.

“However, the potential also comes with significant risk, which will be magnified if efforts to start 3D printing in space are rushed out instead of being properly tested. Objects move very fast in orbit, and if a piece of a poorly-made structure breaks off it will end up circling the Earth with the velocity of a rifle bullet. If it hits another object like a satellite or a spacecraft, it could cause catastrophic damage, as well as increase the potential of cascading problems as debris from any collisions cause further damage to other objects.

“The NextSpace TestRig is open to academic colleagues, researchers and commercial clients from around the world to help them ensure that any materials they plan to 3D print in space will work safely. We also expect that the data we’ll be gathering in the years to come, which can’t be replicated anywhere else in the world at the moment, will help regulatory authorities to make safety standards for in-space manufacturing, informed by real-world testing.”

In order to create space-like conditions on Earth, the facility uses a special vacuum chamber that can generate temperatures between -150°C and +250°C. Designed to help support the growing field of space manufacturing, the testing facility is just the latest development in Dr. Bailet’s space-born 3D printing research. He also patented a 3D printer prototype designed to be used in orbit, which has been tested during multiple flights on a “vomit comet” research plane.

“We expect that the NextSpace TestRig will be of real use to the UK space industry in the years to come,” Dr. Bailet said. “Glasgow is already a centre of excellence for space technology – companies here manufacture the most satellites in the world outside the west coast of the USA. Our facility will help augment the capabilities of future spacecraft assembled in orbit, ensuring that the UK space sector can be more competitive internationally.”

The testing facility houses a unique magazine system, which is capable of autonomously testing multiple material samples in one cycle. This extremely efficient system is able to apply up to 20 kilonewtons—roughly 2,000 kilograms—of force to break up samples, and then analyze their properties in vacuum conditions that mimc the atmosphere of space. In addition, samples are also subjected to cycles of extreme temperatures, which also matches what they’d face in orbit.

The Manufacturing Technology Centre and the university received £253,000 in funding from the UK Space Agency’s Enabling Technology Programme to support their work.

“We are proud to have supported the University of Glasgow in developing the world’s first facility for testing 3D-printed materials in space-like conditions,” stated Iain Hughes, Head of the National Space Innovation Programme at the UK Space Agency. “This innovation will help to drive UK advancements in space manufacturing, unlocking numerous benefits and meeting the government’s growth ambitions while ensuring safe and sustainable space use.”

Images: University of Glasgow