Jump to content

3D Printer in space?


Tux

Recommended Posts

So NASA has a 3D printer competition and when I first read it I thought ..wait...I wonder if 3D printers could work on mars so that the rovers could actually make spare parts if needed.

wow...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I know somebody who would've loved this... I doubt anybody here (besides Whackjob probably) will know to whom I'm referring to. Let's just say he might do a QA on why he hates this topic so much...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I know somebody who would've loved this... I doubt anybody here (besides Whackjob probably) will know to whom I'm referring to. Let's just say he might do a QA on why he hates this topic so much...

CaptainArbitrary?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I know a girl who is doing her undergraduate thesis on 3D printing in space. Granted, I don't know exactly what she's doing for it, but interesting times nonetheless.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So NASA has a 3D printer competition and when I first read it I thought ..wait...I wonder if 3D printers could work on mars so that the rovers could actually make spare parts if needed.

wow...

You need more than just 3D-printed parts to make a robot or any sort of machinery. First you need the material. Different uses require different material depending on their mechanical and thermal constraints. Some can be made of plastic, others have to be made of metal. You need seals, springs, filters, all sorts of fluids, solvants and lubricants. Some of them can probably be made locally, but each different item will need its own complex manufacturing process with its own dependencies.

Most of the stuff we have is made of a many number of different compounds and alloys and materials and not all of it can be 3D-printed. Look at the stuff around you and think of everything that went into their production, including the consumables needed to run and maintain the equipment that made those things. Something as simple as an electric motor is made of all sorts of different metal alloys. Making electronics from ISRU would be extremely complicated. You need to make every component with a variety of different processes and manufacturing techniques and rare materials.

3D printing as a way to produce some select spare parts is a great way to save weight on a mission, but it's still limited to small monolithic parts.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

ALM would be difficult in zero-g, but definitely worth investigating. You need to use a lot of things that would be troublesome without gravity, such as powdered metals. Obviously you don't want a powdered conductor loose in your environment. However the ability to manufacture non-critical parts out of ali or steel would be very useful. Even one of the nasty plastic extruders could be handy.

People do seem to forget that you can only make a subset of parts using ALM. It's not a magic box that can produce anything, and it's often not the best way to make things.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This thread is quite old. Please consider starting a new thread rather than reviving this one.

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...