3d printing in space
Moon Dust Melted in Einstein Elevator, Assessing Space Colonization and 3D Printing on the Moon
In terms of colonization, the smallest 3D printer possible could be stashed on board a spacecraft en route to the Moon or Mars, with robots then used to mine for…
Microgravity Space Manufacturing: Droplet-Based 3D Printing Shows Great Potential
In the recently published ‘Suppression of gravity effects on metal droplet deposition manufacturing by an anti-gravity electric field,’ researchers from Northwestern Polytechnical University explore greater complexity in metal 3D printing….
NASA and Made In Space Talk About 3D Printing Recycled Material in Orbit
With deep space exploration moving forward, NASA is using the International Space Station (ISS) to conduct cutting edge research and technological developments to help prepare astronauts as they take the…
ADAM: A Concept for Autonomous Construction on Mars
Gracinda Ferreira has an interesting concept for building structures on Mars and beyond. Her ADAM idea calls for an automated construction tool to 3D print homes on the surface. After…
Basalt Fiber-Reinforced ABS: Researchers Develop Thermoplastic Composite for Use in Space
In the recently published ‘Development and Mechanical Properties of Basalt Fiber-Reinforced Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene for In-Space Manufacturing Applications,’ we learn more about materials necessary for building in space; for example, a…
The International Space Station Has a New Partner in Regenerative Medicine
Scientific investigations conducted by people on the International Space Station (ISS) are currently contributing to our knowledge in many fields. The research alliance between the University of Pittsburgh’s (Pitt) McGowan Institute for…
Made in Space: Proving Further 3D Printing & Robotics Capabilities with Archinaut System
We hear a lot of talk these days from global aerospace players about how 3D printing and robotics will further space travel, assist in further exploration of the Moon, colonize…
Chinese Scientists Building Solar Space Station, Projecting that 3D Printing & Robotics Will Assist in the Future
Once again, 3D printing and robotics are to be called on as futuristic space plans are developed, this time by the Chinese as they look toward creating a solar power…
NASA Nebraska Space Grant Means Further Collaboration with Copper3D to Study Microbial Risk in Space
Chilean startup Copper3D and 3D printing endeavors at the International Space Station are both interests we have followed actively—but never together up until last year when NASA expressed interest in…
BEEVERYCREATIVE Continues Work with ESA: New ISS 3D Printer to be Developed
BEEVERYCREATIVE first established an outer space connection in 2016, when the Portuguese company was asked by the European Space Agency (ESA) to develop a breadboard, or prototype, 3D printer for…
An Assessment of the Conditions Needed for 3D Printing A Village on the Moon
For a few years now, the European Space Agency (ESA) has been talking seriously about building a habitable village on the moon, and 3D printing is a big part of…
Moon Dust: Is It the Key to Space Colonization? Researchers 3D Print Simulated Regolith to See
Our fascination with space travel is never-ending, and the reality that we have been able to travel to the moon is still a source of keen fascination (or perhaps question,…
First Bioprinter to Go to the International Space Station is Destroyed in Accident, But There is a Backup
A mishap has resulted in the first bioprinter to be sent to the International Space Station not quite making it to its destination. Last Thursday, the Russian spacecraft Soyuz MS-10…
SEArch+ and Apis Cor Take Top Prize in Latest Level of NASA’s 3D Printed Habitat Challenge
Since NASA’s 3D Printed Habitat Challenge began, it has been fascinating to follow the competition as it moves through its multiple levels and phases. At its inception in 2014 the…
3D Printing News Briefs: April 20, 2018
We’re getting right down to business today in 3D Printing News Briefs – Identify3D and atum3D are both announcing new collaborations and partnerships, and Made In Space has received an…
Two Years on the ISS: Additive Manufacturing Facility Celebrates Nearly 100 3D Printed Parts
It’s been two years since Made In Space sent its second 3D printer, the Additive Manufacturing Facility (AMF) to the International Space Station. A great deal has been accomplished since…
Zortrax 3D Printers Crucial to the Success of NASA Engineers in Creating Tools
NASA has been making use of 3D printing long before the general public even knew it existed. As the technology has made its way into the mainstream, however, NASA keeps…
3D Printing Can Help Astronauts Study Their Own Blood Samples In Space
Let’s say you go to your annual physical, and the doctor wants you to get a blood sample. No problem, right? It’s easy to take care of here on Earth,…
Mars Simulation in Omani Desert to Test 3D Printing for Visit to Red Planet
Mars is our second nearest neighbor in the vast reaches of outer space. As such, it has long been easily visible in the night sky and so the circumstances surrounding…
17 Top 3D Printing Themes of 2017
2017 has been, by any measure, an eventful year, and as always the end of December brings us to a retrospective season as we look back on all that has…
The ESA Explores 3D Printing on Earth and Beyond
Sometimes when a new technology leaves the laboratory, it goes off to perform its functions in an industrial setting, research facility, or educational institute. Sometimes, though, its installation may be…
The Refabricator Will Be Recycling Plastic and 3D Printing Onboard the ISS Next Year
In 2015, NASA awarded Washington-based technology firm Tethers Unlimited, Inc. (TUI) a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant to continue developing its Positrusion Recycler, which recycles plastic waste into 3D…
Made In Space Announces That Final 3D Printed Test Shield for Radiation Experiments Aboard the BEAM Is Complete
Earlier this summer, we heard about radiation experiments being conducted on the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM) aboard the International Space Station (ISS). This experimental module, made by Bigelow Aerospace, was…
Made In Space Successfully Manufactures First Extended 3D Printed Objects in a Space-Like Environment
In 2015, space manufacturing company Made In Space revealed that it had completed successful tests that indicated that its newest generation of 3D printers would be fully functional in the vacuum…
