Quote from: A_M_Swallow on 11/04/2012 03:03 amA variety of 3D printers are likely to be needed in aerospace.a. A very high precision 3D printer.b. A very large 3D printer.c. A 3D that is both large and has a very high precision. (derived from both a and b.)d. A 3D printer that uses regolith.could you define aerospace? my thinking atm is to use the space lab the ISS to perfect a 0G printer and grow from there.
A variety of 3D printers are likely to be needed in aerospace.a. A very high precision 3D printer.b. A very large 3D printer.c. A 3D that is both large and has a very high precision. (derived from both a and b.)d. A 3D printer that uses regolith.
I'm wondering if anyone on this thread has actually used a 3d printer.I have, once or twice, and only make-shift amateur ones.The big design constraint appears to be somewhat gravity-related. I can imagine printing things in zero-g that could only be printed on the ground with difficulty.Is there an expert opinion available?
Quote from: Prober on 11/04/2012 03:16 pmQuote from: A_M_Swallow on 11/04/2012 03:03 amA variety of 3D printers are likely to be needed in aerospace.a. A very high precision 3D printer.b. A very large 3D printer.c. A 3D that is both large and has a very high precision. (derived from both a and b.)d. A 3D printer that uses regolith.could you define aerospace? my thinking atm is to use the space lab the ISS to perfect a 0G printer and grow from there.There will be 3 main user location types for 3D printers:1. spacestations and spacecraft with microgravity.2. Mars and Moon bases with low gravity.3. Earth based laboratories and factories with 1G.
Does anyone know how far we are from having a 3D printer that is able to print the parts needed for another 3D printer, i.e. as a basis for a self-replicating machine? Or is it not at all feasible?
3D Printer for SLSSpace Launch System Using Futuristic Tech to Build RocketsPublished on Nov 6, 2012 by NASAMarshallTVA state-of-the-art machine was recently delivered to NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., to create intricate metal parts for America's next heavy-lift rocket. (NASA/MSFC)
Quote from: catdlr on 11/07/2012 12:04 am3D Printer for SLSSpace Launch System Using Futuristic Tech to Build RocketsPublished on Nov 6, 2012 by NASAMarshallTVA state-of-the-art machine was recently delivered to NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., to create intricate metal parts for America's next heavy-lift rocket. (NASA/MSFC)Thats really super cool. I love the fact it just uses metal powder. I have heard it claimed that you could gather iron powder from lunar regolith with little more than a magnet.
I do not believe that pure iron exists on the moon. You have oxides.
Quote from: KelvinZero on 11/07/2012 08:51 amQuote from: catdlr on 11/07/2012 12:04 am3D Printer for SLSSpace Launch System Using Futuristic Tech to Build RocketsPublished on Nov 6, 2012 by NASAMarshallTVA state-of-the-art machine was recently delivered to NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., to create intricate metal parts for America's next heavy-lift rocket. (NASA/MSFC)Thats really super cool. I love the fact it just uses metal powder. I have heard it claimed that you could gather iron powder from lunar regolith with little more than a magnet.I do not believe that pure iron exists on the moon. You have oxides.
1-Instead of asking what component on the ISS a 3d printer could reproduce, perhaps we should be asking the engineers who design each component (especially of a future BEO ISS) to, where possible, design their prototypes to a similar machine.2-Therefore whenever anyone suggests such toys don't help current missions, this suggests we are currently not performing the right missions.
future "nano" level printers are being worked on, and major changes in feed stocks will open up, so in vacuum might be useful.
On Mars it can eliminate a reorder delay of several years.
Aleph Objects has became a Silver sponcer of Mars One.
If you knew the specific part that would break, of course you would prefer to have a replacement from earth.
I can imagine printing things in zero-g that could only be printed on the ground with difficulty.
it just uses metal powder. I have heard it claimed that you could gather iron powder from lunar regolith with little more than a magnet.
Quote from: DarkenedOne on 11/07/2012 09:48 pmYou have oxides. powder needs very specific properties like homogenity of size though.
You have oxides.
This link mentions pure iron, but apparently embedded (but not oxidized) rather than as free particles.
Quote from: Prober on 11/03/2012 02:25 pmfuture "nano" level printers are being worked on, and major changes in feed stocks will open up, so in vacuum might be useful.Links?Thinking further out: Could zero-g and vacuum enable atom/molecule scale of printing? monatomic ionized fields, nano-annodes, static, photon impactors/EMR fields, and such... ? Quote from: A_M_Swallow on 11/03/2012 08:28 pmOn Mars it can eliminate a reorder delay of several years.This could be a useful application potentially. Labour saving is the big benefit; break a shovel? Print a new one rather than machining one from other tools/casting a new one. Print some of the parts of a bull-dozer or electric dirt-bike using locally-sourced feedstocks. Lot's of things. Colonists could state what they want, and volunteers on Earth could program a file for them. Or suggest things that they might want. Quote from: SpacexULA on 11/05/2012 03:05 pmAleph Objects has became a Silver sponcer of Mars One. Ah. Very interesting. Quote from: KelvinZero on 11/03/2012 09:40 pmIf you knew the specific part that would break, of course you would prefer to have a replacement from earth.Might be able to save some weight this way though. Build stuff such that it might break (non-critical stuff at first). If it breaks, just print out the beefier one. Yes I know the feedstock and 3D printer would weigh something, but if there is enough mass savings through shaving margins, then it might make sense. This would particularly be the case in the context of something far larger than ISS. But makes less sense if launching is cheap. So, I guess doesn't make much sense afterall. Quote from: QuantumG on 11/03/2012 09:43 pmI can imagine printing things in zero-g that could only be printed on the ground with difficulty.Like elongated fragile things that cannot support their own weight under gravity but might have utility in space beyond just art (like a lightweight filter system or something)? Quote from: KelvinZero on 11/07/2012 08:51 amit just uses metal powder. I have heard it claimed that you could gather iron powder from lunar regolith with little more than a magnet.Not unlike iron-rich dust on Mars. Very Very interesting to think about the possibilities. Quote from: guckyfan on 11/08/2012 07:53 amQuote from: DarkenedOne on 11/07/2012 09:48 pmYou have oxides. powder needs very specific properties like homogenity of size though.Both of those concerns (smelting and chopping to proper size) might be addressed with a laser, perhaps the same one, before they are dropped into the feedstock pot. Maybe a robust system could use fairly rich natural oxide dusts all at once in the place things are built (a research direction anyway). There may be dust deposits that have already been appropriately sorted in size by wind. Alternatively, and probably more near-term, the feedstock could be made separately to required specifications. Quote from: KelvinZero on 11/08/2012 07:54 amThis link mentions pure iron, but apparently embedded (but not oxidized) rather than as free particles."Embeded" does not imply lithified. They might be dragged out with magnets and even mass-sorted by shooting them through a magnetic field. I hope the Planetary Resources Corp has some 3D print nerds in the stable. Or at least one who pays close attention to trends and developments. If 3D printing continues to develop quickly, some interesting implications exist for asteroid mining. Like making your own fuel tanks (and other bits). By the way, as QG pointed out, until improvements in speedy robotics make 3D printing a very attractive R&D area for large-scale manufacturers on Earth, I don't expect we'll see dramatically cool things happen in space in this regard. I think the main driver for improving 3D print capability will not be aerospace.