NASA Wants To Test 3-D Printing Aboard ISS

coondoggie writes "NASA wants to test out 3-D printing technology onboard the International Space Station to find out if the technology could be used to manufacture parts in space." NASA may not be creating any production parts this way for a long time yet, but they've got to start somewhere.

Debbie Downers

[spire3661]

Why the 'well it sucks and cant be used for anything yet, but we are going to try it' attitude? ISNT THAT THE POINT OF THE ISS? To try the unfeasible and untested? How many experiments have gone up on pure theory alone and never have real world payouts? This FOR SURE will yield valuable data on advanced manufacturing techniques in space. You couldnt ask for a better experiment.

Re:most cheap printers don't care about gravity

[Anonymous Coward]

The common, cheap, FDM printers (the ones that squirt out hot plastic from a nozzle) can print just fine upside down. So obviously they will print fine with zero gravity.

Nope. While they may work upside down, 0g can still be an issue. No convection causes major issues (heat does not rise in 0g). They might have fume or thermal problems. There may also be some issues with bearing, lubrication etc.

Ever wonder what fire is like in 0g without convection? Its very strange, and might be what happens to the printer.

Re:Debbie Downers

[Calydor]

You only get what, half a minute to a couple of minutes of zero G at a time on those. I'll admit to not knowing much about 3D printers, but I'm sure NASA is interested in how it fares when running continuously for a couple of hours in zero G.

Re:Interesting...but

[only_human]

How about the time they needed to repair a satellite and had to custom rig a "flyswatter" (made from a window shade, a vacuum hose and a piece of plastic) to snag a lever on the rotating satellite?
Custom parts will always be needed for unanticipated situations.

Re:Debbie Downers

[firex726]

ALso it's relative. You and everything on them are still under the effects of gravity, you're just falling at the same rate as the craft. The physics of liquids such as would be used by a 3D printer would not be accurately comparable to being on the ISS.

Re:Debbie Downers

[icebike]

Apples and Oranges much?

Pick up a small (commercial unit) drive over to the next launch site and toss it into the cargo.
The supply vehicles were going there anyway.
You don't pay for the whole launch when the thing is small enough to fit on your TV tray.

Re:Debbie Downers

[dbIII]

I'm more interested in what limitations can be overcome without gravity, especially since the 3D printers I've seen work by building up from a supporting structure.