{"id":15622,"date":"2024-09-06T14:49:53","date_gmt":"2024-09-06T14:49:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/TheNextWeb=1410042"},"modified":"2024-09-06T14:49:53","modified_gmt":"2024-09-06T14:49:53","slug":"first-metal-part-3d-printed-in-space-paves-way-for-deeper-cosmic-missions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/?p=15622","title":{"rendered":"First metal part 3D-printed in space paves way for deeper cosmic missions"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
<\/div>\n

Astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) have used <\/span>ESA\u2019s metal 3D printer<\/span><\/a> to forge the first-ever metal part made entirely in space<\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n

The achievement was part of a collaboration between ESA and Airbus that looks to develop Europe\u2019s capabilities in space manufacturing. It could mark a step toward greater autonomy for long-term missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cC<\/span>reating spare parts, construction components, and tools on demand will be essential for long-distance and long-duration missions,\u201d said Daniel Neuenschwander, director of human and robotic exploration at ESA.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

Built by Airbus, the 180kg printer can be used to repair or manufacture tools, mounting interfaces, and mechanical parts. It can print parts with a volume of nine centimetres high and five centimetres wide, with the process lasting about 40 hours.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
<\/p>\n

TNW Conference 2025 – Back to NDSM on June 19-20, 2025 – Save the date!<\/p>\n

As we wrapped up our incredible 2024 edition, we’re pleased to announce our return to Amsterdam NDSM in 2025. Registration now!<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Launched earlier this year, the metal 3D printer was installed by ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen in the ISS\u2019s Columbus module. And now it has produced its first metal component in microgravity.  <\/span><\/p>\n

3D-printing metal in space<\/h2>\n

Unlike previous plastic-based 3D printing aboard the ISS, this demonstrator shows that it\u2019s possible to create durable, high-strength parts in space. However, printing metal in space doesn\u2019t come with challenges. <\/span><\/p>\n

Metal 3D printers on Earth are usually the size of a small room. However, engineers at Airbus had to shrink the space printer down to the size of a washing machine so it could fit in the tight confines of the ISS. They also had to put the printer in a <\/span>sealed metal safe-like box, to<\/span> ensure the ISS was protected from the extreme heat produced during metal printing.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGravity management is also key, which is why we chose wire-based printing technology. The wire is independent of gravity unlike the powder-based system, which always has to fall to the ground,\u201d said <\/span>S\u00e9bastien Girault, metal 3D printer system engineer at Airbus, <\/span>earlier this year<\/span><\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n

Astronauts on the ISS will send the printed component, along with three others planned, to Earth for analysis at ESA\u2019s technical centres and research facilities across Europe. <\/span><\/p>\n

Space autonomy<\/h2>\n

As humans push farther into deep space, the ability to 3D-print essential tools, spare parts, and even whole structures could make long-duration missions more viable.<\/span><\/p>\n

NASA and ESA, for instance, are developing 3D printing technology that uses local resources like lunar regolith for space construction, reducing the need to transport materials from Earth. <\/span><\/p>\n

Projects such as <\/span>Moonrise<\/span><\/a>, led by the German Space Agency, and NASA\u2019s <\/span>Olympus<\/span><\/a> aim to create entire buildings on the Moon and Mars for long-term space habitation. <\/span><\/p>\n

In 2022, NASA awarded 3D-printing startup Icon a $57mn contract to advance <\/span>construction technologies that could help build infrastructure such as landing pads, habitats, and roads on the lunar surface.<\/span><\/p>\n

Source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) have used ESA\u2019s metal 3D printer to forge the first-ever metal part made entirely in space.  The achievement was part of a collaboration between ESA…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15623,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15622"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=15622"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15622\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/15623"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=15622"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=15622"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=15622"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}