3D Printers Will be in Space

3D printers could soon reach into space. It is will particularly useful tools for astronauts in exploration of other planets and the moon in the first place. Some researchers in fact, demonstrated the possibility of using the lunar rocks as a raw material for the production of simple tools using 3D printers. So it will enable the manufacturing of the tools for the repair or to build small components directly when necessary.

The technology behind these printers, moreover, has made ??considerable progress in recent years and the materials used are now numerous. In the laboratories of NASA, the idea of using even the moon rocks and early tests have yielded positive results: Tests carried out using materials rather similar to those rocks, in fact, Experiments are successful and printing the various layers one on the other in a series of small cylinders it possible.

In this way, therefore, the astronauts might one day to have a virtually unlimited arsenal of tools implementation and objects to be used for repairs by simply bringing on board the spacecraft one or more 3D printers. All this, with a considerable reduction of costs associated with the purchase and transportation of such tools on board with clear advantages even from the practical point of view.

This is of course only a hypothesis for now which born as a result of simple experiments turned out well and which will be followed by a long series of tests before they can seriously see 3D printers in space. One of the first questions to be solved concerns the properties of the objects produced by printing using lunar rocks , as they may not be strong enough to be used as spare parts.

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Posted by Paracha on December 6, 2012. Filed under Innovation, News, Technology. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.