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ESA makes a 'giant leap' for in-orbit manufacturing
The first metal 3D printer aboard the International Space Station successfully dribbled out a molten “S curve” last Thursday, in what the European Space Agency (ESA) is calling a “giant leap forward for in-orbit manufacturing.”
Combining a high-power laser and stainless-steel wire, an Airbus-built metal 3D printer deposited its first liquefied test lines inside the ESA’s Columbus research module.
For “safety reasons,” the machine operated in a “fully sealed box, preventing excess heat or fumes from escaping,” the agency wrote, adding that the laser on the printer is “about a million times more powerful than a standard laser pointer.” Microgravity researchers at the French space agency CNES oversaw the project remotely from facilities in Toulouse, alongside Airbus and the ESA.
“The quality is as good as we could dream,” said Airbus’ lead system engineer for the project, Sébastien Girault, in a statement. ESA technical officer Rob Postema said the project’s success leaves the agency “ready to print full parts in the near future.”
www.popsci.com
The first metal 3D printer aboard the International Space Station successfully dribbled out a molten “S curve” last Thursday, in what the European Space Agency (ESA) is calling a “giant leap forward for in-orbit manufacturing.”
Combining a high-power laser and stainless-steel wire, an Airbus-built metal 3D printer deposited its first liquefied test lines inside the ESA’s Columbus research module.
For “safety reasons,” the machine operated in a “fully sealed box, preventing excess heat or fumes from escaping,” the agency wrote, adding that the laser on the printer is “about a million times more powerful than a standard laser pointer.” Microgravity researchers at the French space agency CNES oversaw the project remotely from facilities in Toulouse, alongside Airbus and the ESA.
“The quality is as good as we could dream,” said Airbus’ lead system engineer for the project, Sébastien Girault, in a statement. ESA technical officer Rob Postema said the project’s success leaves the agency “ready to print full parts in the near future.”
First metal 3D printer on space station dribbles molten steel
ESA makes a 'giant leap' for in-orbit manufacturing.
www.popsci.com
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