Research Manufacturing in orbit: researchers develop 3D printer for vacuum

So far, 3D printing has only been tested in space under atmospheric conditions similar to those on Earth. But what if future space travelers want to print necessary tools and parts on the moon or Mars? Researchers from Glasgow have an answer.

University of Glasgow researchers from the James Watt School of Engineering, led by Dr. Gilles Bailet, have obtained a patent that allows the additive manufacturing of spare parts or tools in microgravity and vacuum. Why is this interesting? If mankind sets off into space in the future, most of the places that can be found in the universe will not have the same atmospheric conditions as on good old Earth. This could become a problem with 3D printing.

Solving the challenge of 3D printing objects in low-gravity environments could pave the way for orbital factories, says Bailet. Parts and components could be produced there that could be assembled into new types of devices in orbit. This could include solar reflectors, antennas and other such things.

At the same time, thanks to additive manufacturing in space, such things would not have to be built on Earth and then shot into space - ergo they would not have to withstand the forces associated with transportation into space. At the same time, there is not much space on board today's rockets. In the future, a 3D printer and the corresponding filament in space could be enough to build previously unimagined structures.

3D printing in space is not the same as 3D printing in space

Additive manufacturing in space is nothing new. Last year, for example, ESA astronauts tested a 3D printer on the ISS that prints metal parts. Plastic printers were already in use before. Printing in zero gravity brings its own challenges; the materials cannot simply be stacked on top of each other. At the same time, the materials that are shaped by the printer must also work in zero gravity and in a vacuum, as conventional filaments often break under these conditions. "This is a problem that needs to be solved before they can be used reliably in space," says Bailet.

Dr. Bailet and his colleagues are also exploring methods of embedding electronics into the materials as part of the printing process, which opens up the possibility of creating functional components for use in devices being developed in space, as well as reusable space systems. To find out if the built demonstrator works, it was tested during the European Space Agency's 85th parabolic flight campaign and was able to convince the team during more than 90 22-second periods of weightlessness.

Dr. Bailet says: "We have tested the technology extensively in the lab and now in microgravity and are confident that it will perform as expected, opening up the possibility of 3D printing antenna and other spacecraft parts in space."

Chemical factories for the pharmaceutical industry

Even if humanity does not set off for Mars in the near future, additive manufacturing in space could open up exciting opportunities, for example in the pharmaceutical industry. "Crystals grown in space are often larger and better organized than those produced on Earth, so chemical factories in orbit could produce new or improved drugs that could then be brought back to Earth. For example, it has been suggested that insulin grown in space could be nine times more effective, so that diabetics would only need to inject it every three days instead of three times a day as is often the case today."

Is this just a dream of the future or is it just around the corner thanks to Dr. Bailet's patent? The next step would probably be demonstrator tests in orbit, outside the regulated atmosphere of the ISS. The team is currently looking for sponsors for this project. (sb)