not your average everyday print jobs. Originally shared by Michael Interbartolo 3D Printing........

3D Printing
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not your average everyday print jobs.

Originally shared by Michael Interbartolo

3D Printing… IN SPACE

The 3-D Printing In Zero-G Technology Demonstration (3-D Printing In Zero-G) is the first 3-D printer for operation in microgravity and may change the way NASA does business aboard the International Space Station. It is scheduled to launch to the station aboard the SpaceX-4 resupply mission, and researchers hope to show a 3-D printer can work normally in space and produce parts equitable to those printed on the ground.

The 3-D printer works by extruding heated plastic, which then builds layer upon layer to create three-dimensional objects. Testing this on the station is the first step toward creating a working “machine shop” in space. This capability may decrease cost and risk on the station, will be critical when space explorers venture far from Earth and will create an on-demand supply chain for needed tools and parts.

Lessons learned from this 3-D demonstration will be used for the next generation printer known as the Additive Manufacturing Facility (AMF). The AMF will be a commercial printer that will enable not only NASA to print needed parts, but will also set a precedent as the first facility ever to provide anyone on Earth – including academia and industry from around the world – the opportunity to manufacture parts in space.

#scienceeveryday
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/news/3D_in_space#.VAYSl47HXss.google_plusone_share

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So in zero G the issue of support material is kind of a moot point huh?

Some people have all the luck.

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@Anthony_Truss I doubt it. It would simply be renamed an “anchor” and serve the point of not letting that section float away from where it is supposed to be.

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They should also consider solar smelters and CNC milling.

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If bonded to the “raft” or “bed” do you still see a need other than isolated individual parts not attached to the main model.

Either way it’s gotta be easier than at earth gravity.

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@Anthony_Truss You have to press the fresh material against something or nozzle based 3D printing will not work. If you print a person, for example, the person’s arms may hang down at the person’s sides and would need “anchor material” for that purpose. I suppose if you have an ultracomplicated printer that can rotate the nozzle along the X and Y axis, you might not need “anchor material”, but it might not be necessary for them to have such a complicated printer unless they plan on printing on pre-existing objects like perhaps two broken parts or two misc pieces of junk.