Why do we Need to be Able to 3D print in space?

Incredible news for the future of additive manufacturing, as the first 3D metal part was printed in space. 

After analysis revealed that microgravity had no engineering-significant effects on the additive manufacturing process, the aerospace sector has been working on mastering it to form new logistics systems for long duration missions.

After seven months on the International Space Station (ISS) 400 kilometres above the Earth, the European Space Agency’s (ESA) metal 3D printer was able to demonstrate the feasibility of metallic part production in microgravity.

The 3D printer was built by Airbus, and was the first to be installed on a space station back in January of this year.

The printer model was also installed on the ISS Columbus module in may this year, with print operations overseen at the French space agency CNES from the control centre for ISS payloads. 

3D printed parts and components have been utilised on the ISS before, but the entire process from design to production has never been completed until now in space.

This incredible achievement has been a long time in the making, with extensive collaboration between the ESA, Nasa and Airbus to make it possible. 

But why is it so important we’re able to 3D print in space?

Why do we need to be able to 3D print in space?

BCG estimates that the value of the 3D printing market is set to reach US$95bn by 2032.

By 2040 this method will make up an estimated 1%-2% of the world’s global manufacturing market.

Down on Earth, it’s unlikely to ever supersede or take over traditional manufacturing, but in space that’s a different story.

On the International Space Station (ISS), astronauts have been conducting scientific research for almost two decades.

Here they must be able to eat, sleep, exercise and relax, demands which require teams to send more than 7,000 pounds of spare parts each year to the station.

Another 39,000 are stored on the ground on standby, and 29,000 of hardware spares are stored aboard the station. 

This logistics system supports a spacecraft orbiting above Earth that has no intent on going anywhere.

But this system is unfeasible for future missions to Mars and the Moon, where astronauts on long voyages need to be able to make their own spare parts, materials and tools on demand.

These are needed both for routine needs and to adapt to unforeseen circumstances. 

The answer to this is 3D printing.

3D printing: unlocking the future of space exploration

Additive manufacturing makes obtaining spare parts or building materials easy and cost efficient, negating the need to transport them from earth.

By producing very little waste, the method also eliminates the issue of waste disposal in space.

It will enable astronauts to conduct long-haul missions to the Moon and Mars, increasing their autonomy and how self-sustaining space stations can be.

3D printing can help produce the structural parts for the technologies we'll need for sustained presence there. 

“The metal 3D printer will bring new on-orbit manufacturing capabilities, including the possibility to produce load-bearing structural parts that are more resilient than a plastic equivalent,” says Gwenaëlle Aridon, Airbus Space Assembly lead engineer. 

“Astronauts will be able to directly manufacture tools such as wrenches or mounting interfaces that could connect several parts together. The flexibility and rapid availability of 3D printing will greatly improve astronauts’ autonomy.” 

Additionally, space is an incredible frontier to test, innovate and experiment with additive manufacturing, highlighting its value across a diversity of manufacturing contexts. It especially demonstrates the importance of distributed manufacturing- where parts and products can be created from anywhere. 

“Increasing the level of maturity and automation of additive manufacturing in space could be a game changer for supporting life beyond Earth,” Aridon adds.

“Thinking beyond the ISS, the applications  could be amazing. Imagine a metal printer using transformed regolith [moondust] or recycled materials to build a lunar base!”

Boston Consulting Group (BCG) partner Wilderich Heising, who specialises in additive manufacturing agrees.

“Space will be the ultimate demonstration of distributed manufacturing,” he says.

“In the ‘old world’ you were dependent on factories to supply products, whereas 3D printing allows the printing of products near to where they are needed, for example, in space, on oil rigs, or at remote aircraft maintenance sites across the globe.

You won’t necessarily need a traditional base for manufacturing—you can produce what’s needed anywhere in the world, or even beyond it.”

Despite this phenomenal potential to build on the future of space travel and tourism, achieving 3D printing in space has come with considerable challenges. 

Challenges which highlight the need to pursue broader scalability and innovation in the area.

What are the challenges of 3D printing in space?

In space, nobody can hear you scream- about how the 3D printer isn’t working. 

Factors like pressure, gravity management and in-orbit inspection of parts have made managing to 3D print in space a challenge, according to Sébastien Girault, metal 3D printer system engineer at Airbus.

“The first challenge with this technology demonstrator was size,” he explains.

“On Earth, current metal 3D printers are installed in a minimum ten square metre laboratory. To create the prototype for the ISS, we had to shrink the printer to the size of a washing machine”.

This miniaturisation was required so the 3D printer could fit inside the rack where it would be housed on board the ISS’ Columbus Laboratory. 

“At this size, we can print parts with a volume of nine centimetres high and five centimetres wide,” Girault continues.

“The second challenge is safety: protecting the ISS from the aggressive printing environment caused by the laser and the heat it generates. The printer sits in a sealed metal box, which acts like a safe.”

The printer’s sealed box ensures low levels of oxygen to maintain onboard safety, oxygen which is replaced with nitrogen during printing to reduce risk of fire and prevent the metal from oxidising.

“The melting point of metal alloys compatible with this process can be far over 1,200°C degrees compared to around 200°C degrees for plastic, which implies drastic thermal control.” adds Girault. 

Another critical concern was gravity management. Getting printers to function in a zero gravity environment without pressure is not an easy task. 

“Gravity management is also key, which is why we chose wire-based printing technology. The wire is independent of gravity unlike the powder-based system, which always has to fall to the ground,” Girault says. 

“Whether it's plastic or metal, fumes are emitted that have to be dealt with by filters and captured inside the machine so that they do not contaminate the air inside the ISS.” 

When opening the printer's sealed safe-like box, the atmosphere outside the printer had to be returned to normal, to retrieve the samples without depressurisation.

Another challenge is material change. When 3D printing in space certain materials have to be restricted as their chemical makeup can change in zero gravity.

Additionally, there was the problem of conducting inspections of parts. In order to use a part, you need to know it fulfils the requirements for its intended use. These inspections had to be conducted in space, and a new part would need to be printed if the previous was insufficient.

IFS, Airbus and Nasa have overcome these challenges through meticulous planning, testing and innovation, highlighting the importance of distributed manufacturing and of exploring 3D printing in new and innovative ways. 

With this method we will soon see space missions that are more independent of Earth, and the growth of extraplanetary exploration. 

As organisations like Virgin Galactic grow their manufacturing operations, with the goal to enhance the accessibility of space via tourism, additive manufacturing has promising applications here too.

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