Author Topic: 3D Printer uses Space Related  (Read 320714 times)

Offline Prober

  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 10348
  • Save the spin....I'm keeping you honest!
  • Nevada
  • Liked: 721
  • Likes Given: 729
Re: 3D Printer uses Space Related
« Reply #20 on: 11/25/2013 05:11 pm »
This next post is very interesting.  Carbon Fiber reinforced PLA etc.

Starts out with new materials in a kickstarter: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1375236253/proto-pasta-gourmet-food-for-your-3d-printer
 
When you check the backgrounds of the people involved you find some aerospace: http://www.protoplant.com/lockheed-martin

Update: this kickstarter was successful and the new materials will soon be available for purchase.   The "made in space" people should be able to use these 3 new materials, only need to test for the proper settings.
« Last Edit: 12/04/2013 12:17 pm by Prober »
2017 - Everything Old is New Again.
"I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant..." --Isoroku Yamamoto

Offline Prober

  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 10348
  • Save the spin....I'm keeping you honest!
  • Nevada
  • Liked: 721
  • Likes Given: 729
Re: 3D Printer uses Space Related
« Reply #21 on: 12/04/2013 11:35 am »
This next bit of news comes from our friends down under in Brisbane, Australia.    It's another starting point project that has wide applications if it works as advertised.    It comes in the form of a Kickstarter  http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cartesianco/the-ex1-rapid-3d-printing-of-circuit-boards

The EX¹ makes printing circuits as quick and easy as printing a photo - allowing you to print on the material of your choice.

 :)

Looks like this Kickstarter has made it.  More models in the future?
« Last Edit: 12/04/2013 11:36 am by Prober »
2017 - Everything Old is New Again.
"I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant..." --Isoroku Yamamoto

Offline Prober

  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 10348
  • Save the spin....I'm keeping you honest!
  • Nevada
  • Liked: 721
  • Likes Given: 729
2017 - Everything Old is New Again.
"I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant..." --Isoroku Yamamoto

Offline Prober

  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 10348
  • Save the spin....I'm keeping you honest!
  • Nevada
  • Liked: 721
  • Likes Given: 729
Re: 3D Printer uses Space Related
« Reply #23 on: 12/07/2013 04:30 pm »
moved from:  http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=30212.msg983412#msg983412

US army builds its own 3D printer
The US military is working with 3D printers that can produce spare parts for spacecraft.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-20269645

http://www.army.mil/article/90814/Smaller__cheaper_3_D_printer_offers_benefits___/

if the Military is using that Printrbot model I fear for the thinking going on.  They can do much better.

2017 - Everything Old is New Again.
"I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant..." --Isoroku Yamamoto

Offline Prober

  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 10348
  • Save the spin....I'm keeping you honest!
  • Nevada
  • Liked: 721
  • Likes Given: 729
Re: 3D Printer uses Space Related
« Reply #24 on: 12/23/2013 01:32 am »
Low-Cost Titanium Powder is the First of its Kind

http://3dprintingindustry.com/2013/12/13/low-cost-titanium-powder-first-kind/
 “The Metalysis process could reduce the price of titanium by as much as 75 per cent, making titanium almost as cheap as specialty steels."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=
[youtube]Z_yChKb6tKQ[/youtube]

"Metalysis' low-cost titanium powder has been used to 3D print automotive and jet engine parts in the Mercury Centre at the University of Sheffield. The video shows part of the 3D printing process at the University of Sheffield, where several parts were built using Metalysis titanium, including guide vanes for jet engines.

Metalysis has developed a new environmentally benign and low-cost way of producing titanium powder, which heralds a new era in additive layer manufacture and will see greater use of titanium in components across the automotive, aerospace and defence industries. Metalysis takes rutile and transforms it directly into powdered titanium in one step using electrolysis."
« Last Edit: 11/25/2014 08:51 pm by Prober »
2017 - Everything Old is New Again.
"I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant..." --Isoroku Yamamoto

Offline Prober

  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 10348
  • Save the spin....I'm keeping you honest!
  • Nevada
  • Liked: 721
  • Likes Given: 729
Re: 3D Printer uses Space Related
« Reply #25 on: 01/01/2014 12:32 am »
this is auto related, but the principles are the same.
 


 [youtube]4vVEp1b8eao[/youtube]
« Last Edit: 01/01/2014 05:52 pm by Prober »
2017 - Everything Old is New Again.
"I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant..." --Isoroku Yamamoto

Offline JayJR

  • Member
  • Posts: 5
  • United States
  • Liked: 0
  • Likes Given: 0
Re: 3D Printer uses Space Related
« Reply #26 on: 01/01/2014 01:26 pm »
Here's the thing guys, I'm very much down for 3D printing, but it's very SLOW to do.  That means, say, if you want to build some sort of space station using metal from a nickel-iron meteorite (effectively stainless steel in a widmanstatten pattern), it's not terribly productive to 3D print all parts.  That's why you'd want 3D printing to be done in sort of a factory-like scenario for only corner joints, screws, nuts, bolts, custom pieces, etc.  For things like the actual structure, you'd need to cut from the meteorite the raw materials necessary either directly into raw sheets , or have an iron forge so you can do dozens of metal sheets, I-beams, all at the same time, etc.

Offline Prober

  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 10348
  • Save the spin....I'm keeping you honest!
  • Nevada
  • Liked: 721
  • Likes Given: 729
Re: 3D Printer uses Space Related
« Reply #27 on: 01/18/2014 07:07 pm »
This latest news from Adobe opens up new doors to users who might not like working with Cad packages.

Latest Version of Photoshop CC from Adobe Includes 3D Printing Capabilities
http://tinyurl.com/n8dql7a

" The new version reportedly enables users to design new 3D models directly in Photoshop or to import existing models from other 3D software with further capabilities to edit, refine, preview and then 3D print them directly from within Photoshop CC."


 [youtube]0W3MkqidSAo[/youtube]
Do they use Photoshop on the ISS?
 
« Last Edit: 01/18/2014 07:56 pm by Prober »
2017 - Everything Old is New Again.
"I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant..." --Isoroku Yamamoto

Offline docmordrid

  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 6334
  • Michigan
  • Liked: 4207
  • Likes Given: 2
Re: 3D Printer uses Space Related
« Reply #28 on: 01/19/2014 05:44 am »
From the Consumer Electronics Show....

http://www.engadget.com/2014/01/09/epson-3d-printer-ces-2014/

Quote
Epson won't make a consumer 3D printer, but promises big, industrial ones within five years
>
>
Usui wants the company to be able to print "anything" and reckons that could take around five years from now. And anything really means anything: The president mused on printing cars, which would make that eventual manufacturing hardware a fair bit bigger than a Cube 3.
>
« Last Edit: 01/19/2014 05:46 am by docmordrid »
DM

Offline darkbluenine

  • Full Member
  • **
  • Posts: 208
  • Liked: 31
  • Likes Given: 51
Re: 3D Printer uses Space Related
« Reply #29 on: 01/20/2014 02:02 am »
This seems like an overly complex approach, especially in terms of the robotics.  But if there's a "killer app" for additive manufacturing in space, fabbing large apertures on orbit that could not otherwise be packed into a launch shroud seems like a strong candidate:

"Spiderfab will use 3D printing and robotics to build a lot bigger, lighter and cheaper in space"

http://nextbigfuture.com/2013/08/spiderfab-will-use-3d-printing-and.html

Offline Prober

  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 10348
  • Save the spin....I'm keeping you honest!
  • Nevada
  • Liked: 721
  • Likes Given: 729
Re: 3D Printer uses Space Related
« Reply #30 on: 01/26/2014 07:51 pm »
Not sure if the pizza printer video made it up here yet so...



http://www.theverge.com/2014/1/24/5342180/watch-this-3d-printer-make-pizza-fit-for-astronauts

Mechanical engineer Anjan Contractor won a $125,000 grant last year to build a prototype 3D printer designed to print food for astronauts on long missions. Contractor's goal was to print a pizza with his open-source RepRap Mendel 3D printer — and it looks like he succeeded.
2017 - Everything Old is New Again.
"I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant..." --Isoroku Yamamoto

Offline docmordrid

  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 6334
  • Michigan
  • Liked: 4207
  • Likes Given: 2
DM

Offline sanman

  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 5974
  • Liked: 1312
  • Likes Given: 8
Re: 3D Printer uses Space Related
« Reply #32 on: 01/27/2014 01:42 pm »
Not sure if the pizza printer video made it up here yet so...

*snip*

http://www.theverge.com/2014/1/24/5342180/watch-this-3d-printer-make-pizza-fit-for-astronauts

Mechanical engineer Anjan Contractor won a $125,000 grant last year to build a prototype 3D printer designed to print food for astronauts on long missions. Contractor's goal was to print a pizza with his open-source RepRap Mendel 3D printer — and it looks like he succeeded.


I don't understand why the additive 3D-printing approach would be best for laying down the dough for pizza crust. Here's a different approach used to make roti, an Indian style of unleavened flat bread



I think that likewise for pizza, it would be better to start off with the blob of dough and then squash it to turn it into the flat round pizza crust. Otherwise, with the additive approach, then your pizza could end up quite flimsy, even after cooking.
« Last Edit: 01/27/2014 01:44 pm by sanman »

Offline grondilu

  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 613
  • France
  • Liked: 68
  • Likes Given: 14
Re: 3D Printer uses Space Related
« Reply #33 on: 01/27/2014 05:09 pm »
The taste and form factor of space food is an interesting subject.   It's possible to envision a texture-less, powder-based dehydrated food like Soylent, but various psychological observations suggest it might be a bad idea, considering how important food appears to be for the mood of crews in enclosed environments (like on sea ships).

But is this idea taken seriously enough that 3D-printing food would actually be justified in space?  I'm not sure.
« Last Edit: 01/27/2014 05:10 pm by grondilu »

Offline docmordrid

  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 6334
  • Michigan
  • Liked: 4207
  • Likes Given: 2
Re: 3D Printer uses Space Related
« Reply #34 on: 01/27/2014 05:49 pm »
We'll see, but NASA is working on it too. So is Hershey's, and not just for candy. Fast food meat/vegetarian patties/buns? If flippers get the $15/hr they want, and that kind of evolved automated mass preparation has colonization writ all over it.
« Last Edit: 01/27/2014 05:54 pm by docmordrid »
DM

Offline Prober

  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 10348
  • Save the spin....I'm keeping you honest!
  • Nevada
  • Liked: 721
  • Likes Given: 729
Re: 3D Printer uses Space Related
« Reply #35 on: 01/28/2014 02:33 am »
"Contractor promised last spring that the cartridges the printer uses will last 30 years."

Comes from the pizza printer article.  Could become useful if 30 years works.
2017 - Everything Old is New Again.
"I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant..." --Isoroku Yamamoto

Offline docmordrid

  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 6334
  • Michigan
  • Liked: 4207
  • Likes Given: 2
DM

Offline Prober

  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 10348
  • Save the spin....I'm keeping you honest!
  • Nevada
  • Liked: 721
  • Likes Given: 729
« Last Edit: 01/28/2014 05:28 pm by Prober »
2017 - Everything Old is New Again.
"I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant..." --Isoroku Yamamoto

Offline vyoma

  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 1878
  • India
  • Liked: 850
  • Likes Given: 127
Re: 3D Printer uses Space Related
« Reply #38 on: 01/29/2014 01:53 am »
3D-printed aerospike rocket engine:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1108292587/3d-printed-aerospike-rocket-engine

Quote
740lbf regeneratively cooled 3d printed expander cycle liquid oxygen/propane rocket engine that will power upper stage of a two stage nanosatellite launcher.
« Last Edit: 01/29/2014 01:54 am by vyoma »

Offline high road

  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 1688
  • Europe
  • Liked: 837
  • Likes Given: 152
Re: 3D Printer uses Space Related
« Reply #39 on: 01/29/2014 10:24 am »
I was wondering. ESA has been experimenting with 3D printers to print out a moon base. But why would you want to 'glue' the regolith together? That means you have to bring a lot of aluminum with you. Even if you just canibalize the spacecraft that brought the printer there, it still requires a considerable effort to turn aluminum parts into 'ink'.

http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Technology/Building_a_lunar_base_with_3D_printing]http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Technology/Building_a_lunar_base_with_3D_printing]http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Technology/Building_a_lunar_base_with_3D_printing

http://www.fosterandpartners.com/news/foster-+-partners-works-with-european-space-agency-to-3d-print-structures-on-the-moon

Wouldn't it be more logical to just smelt the regolith and print with that? It requires a lot of power, but that's readily available at the lunar poles.

Like a large scale version of this one, but with lasers powered by a (huge?) solar panel, instead of concentrated sunlight. And plagioclase instead of sand.

http://www.markuskayser.com/work/solarsinter/usg=AFQjCNHZvW35uan8jeSGJtw5mffxvuf81w&bvm=bv.60157871,d.d2k&cad=rja

I don't think the building material lacks structural strength, considering the enormous caves we have on earth. If the high temperatures and slow cool rate associated with working in a vacuum are the problem, a thermal cycle that 'preheats' the material a bit while seriously bringing down the temperatures in the new wall, would be an obvious (though complex) solution.

Any thoughts?
« Last Edit: 01/29/2014 11:20 am by high road »

Tags:
 

Advertisement NovaTech
Advertisement Northrop Grumman
Advertisement
Advertisement Margaritaville Beach Resort South Padre Island
Advertisement Brady Kenniston
Advertisement NextSpaceflight
Advertisement Nathan Barker Photography
1