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An experiment in 3D printing in zero gravity
A number of researchers are
The resin is cured by UV radiation. USB 3 cameras, from IDS, keep an eye on the process. 42
April 2021
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exploring the use of 3D printing/additive manufacturing in space applications. One experiment is testing the possibility of using 3D printing to make spacecra components directly in orbit. The Additive Manufacturing In Space (AIMIS-FYT) team at Munich University of Applied Sciences is developing and researching an additive manufacturing process in which the production of structures takes place in zero gravity. The benefit here is that elements produced this way for space travel do not have to meet the high launch requirements. The process is being researched on parabolic flights in zero gravity - supported by a uEye CP industrial camera om IDS. For this additive manufacturing process the AIMIS-FYT team developed a 3D printer with an extruder that dispenses a liquid photopolymer. “Our 3D printing process can directly print three-dimensional structures in space using a UV-curing adhesive or potting compound,” says Torben Schaefer, press officer of the AIMIS-FYT team. Rather than create components layer by layer, the team created a 3D printer that builds parts directly using the three-dimensional movement of the print head. UV light cures the resin that is eely extruded into space in zero gravity, hardening the material in a short time. In combination with weightlessness, this process enables manufacturing without shape restrictions that normally exist due to gravity on Earth. Typical shape limitations are, for example, long overhangs that are not possible on
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