First 3D Printed Object Made In Space

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Nov 282014
 

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/

 

 

3D Printing – Next Big Thing – You Know It Is

 3D Printing  1 Response »
Aug 012013
 

It’s no secret that I’ve been blabbering on a butt load about 3D printing lately. And why not since this not only will be the next big thing since slice bread but will actually make the sliced bread as well.

Now, being a fan of Ted.com I feel in my heart of heart of ace of hearts that I have to share this with you. Here are some of the future uses of 3D Printing:

• Rocket parts
• Guns
• Meat and Leather (Oh, yes I did!)
• Any food
• Housing
• Liquid metal parts
• Bionic ears, jaw bones (and other human parts)
• High fashion
• Moon base

Okay, there are only 9 things listed instead of 10. Where is the blasted 10th bullet point! The point I’m trying to make, however, is that 3D printing is start to come into our homes. The price of printers has come down into the $500 – $2,500 range for you and me.

And for high end printers, there is one flying off soon to the International Space Station that will make parts to repair the International Space Station. How cool is that? No more long shipping times from planet Earth-o.


Sources

http://blog.ted.com/2013/07/29/a-3d-printed-future-10-surprising-things-we-could-see-printed-soon/

http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/space/nasa/how-it-works-3d-printing-in-space-15758828

 

3D Printing an Airplane – Just Hit Print

 3D Printing  Comments Off on 3D Printing an Airplane – Just Hit Print
Jul 082013
 

A cabin engineer for Airbus, Bastian Schaefer, has designed a private jet that is printable. Some of the parts are too large for today’s 3D printers but the plans are out there.

A few years ago, 3D printing was being used only for rapid prototyping in the airplane industry. Now, a few non-critical parts are being fabricated using 3D printing.

According to Popular Science, “For example, the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner includes 30 or so printed components—a record—but most of them are air ducts or hinges. That, too, could change. In November, NASA started printing parts to test for its next heavy-lift rocket. One company, DIYRockets, went even further: It launched a contest to develop an open-source, 3-D–printable rocket engine.”

Techniques like Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) and electron-beam melting give companies more options as do materials used in printers such as titanium, resin and ceramic.

In fact, students at the University of Virginia have printed an unmanned aerial vehicle using a 3D printer and flown it around an airfield.

Got an idea for your own personal, experimental aircraft? Just hit Print.

 

Sources

http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2013-06/future-flight-planes-will-be-printed

 

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