Space factories closer to reality as new 3D printing tech shows promise
With this new 3D printer system, anything needed in orbit could be 3D printed on the spot.
With this new 3D printer system, anything needed in orbit could be 3D printed on the spot.
In a few years from now, space stations could work like factories — thanks to advancements in 3D print technology. With these printers, anything needed in orbit could be 3D printed on the spot.
Researchers from the University of Glasgow have developed a new 3D printing system that can overcome the challenges of zero gravity and the vacuum of space.
To test their invention, the team took their prototype on a series of flights aboard the “vomit comet” – an aircraft that simulates weightlessness. It is called so due to flights’ effect on passengers as it simulates microgravity by performing sharp ascents and descents.
The researchers believe that successful 3D printing in space could lead to orbital factories, which could produce innovative equipment, such as antennas.
“Additive manufacturing, or 3D printing, is capable of producing remarkably complex materials quickly and at low cost. Putting that technology in space and printing what we need for assembly in orbit would be fantastically useful,” said Dr Gilles Bailet.