The first 3D printed object has been made in space. The 3D printer was built courtesy of a startup called Made In Space. Isn’t that ironic, don’t you think? A little too ironic.
According to Forbes, “”The purpose of the 3D printer is to experiment with the possibility of manufacturing crucial replacement parts on the station, foregoing the expense of shipping them via rocket …”
“… The printer was delivered to the space station in September via a Space X Dragon capsule. It was installed on the station on November 17, and the first in a series of calibration prints was made. More calibration prints followed over the next few days. On Tuesday, November 25, the first actual part was manufactured by the 3D-printer – a faceplate for a printhead extruder on the printer itself.”
So, now that the International Space Station is headed down the road towards manufacturing its own replacement parts, what is next for 3D printing? Glad you asked. 🙂
The printing of pure graphene nanostructures will open up a whole world of possibilities in this quickly evolving industry.
Sources
http://www.forbes.com/sites/alexknapp/2014/11/26/the-first-object-has-been-3d-printed-in-space/
http://3dprint.com/27324/graphene-nano-3d-print/
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