3D printing in microgravity

NASA and 3D printing
Sky-rocketing
Sep 3rd 2013, 14:25 by P.M.
http://www.economist.com/blogs/babba...nd-3d-printing

Article includes pictures of the 3D printer being tested on the Vomit
Comet. Next year, the 3D printer is planned to fly to ISS for more
testing.

This is some pretty exciting stuff if it works well. Being able to
print spare parts seems like a useful capability on a long duration
mission.

Jeff
--
"the perennial claim that hypersonic airbreathing propulsion would
magically make space launch cheaper is nonsense -- LOX is much cheaper
than advanced airbreathing engines, and so are the tanks to put it in
and the extra thrust to carry it." - Henry Spencer

Yes they have been testing rocket injector nozzles produced this way for
some time now. What I do not get though is obviously, the materieal laid
down or cut away in this process must be different for different items, and
presumably, several runs with different materials would be needed to make
complex items. Where do you keep all this material?

Brian

--
Brian Gaff....Note, this account does not accept Bcc: email.
graphics are great, but the blind can't hear them
Email:
__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________


"Jeff Findley" wrote in message
...


NASA and 3D printing
Sky-rocketing
Sep 3rd 2013, 14:25 by P.M.
http://www.economist.com/blogs/babba...nd-3d-printing

Article includes pictures of the 3D printer being tested on the Vomit
Comet. Next year, the 3D printer is planned to fly to ISS for more
testing.

This is some pretty exciting stuff if it works well. Being able to
print spare parts seems like a useful capability on a long duration
mission.

Jeff
--
"the perennial claim that hypersonic airbreathing propulsion would
magically make space launch cheaper is nonsense -- LOX is much cheaper
than advanced airbreathing engines, and so are the tanks to put it in
and the extra thrust to carry it." - Henry Spencer

Remember when Brian Gaff bragged outrageously? That was Wednesday:
Yes they have been testing rocket injector nozzles produced this way for
some time now. What I do not get though is obviously, the materieal laid down
or cut away in this process must be different for different items, and
presumably, several runs with different materials would be needed to make
complex items. Where do you keep all this material?


In tanks or boxes. Some of which can probably be outside the pressure
vessels.

But consider the amount of space taken up by pre-fabricated spares.
There's a lot of unused volume in most part bins, and perhaps packaging
and wrappings. With 3D printing, you're storing bulk materials and not
the unused volume.

/dps

--
Maybe C282Y is simply one of the hangers-on, a groupie following a
future guitar god of the human genome: an allele with undiscovered
virtuosity, currently soloing in obscurity in Mom's garage.
Bradley Wertheim, theAtlantic.com, Jan 10 2013