NASA is revolutionizing 3-D printing by not only sending a printer to the International Space Station (ISS), but by also printing rocket parts similar to those used in their Space Launch System (SLS).
The agency printed a pair of rocket injectors, which are highly complex parts responsible for sending propellant into a spacecraft's engine. After testing those parts, NASA determined that these parts were on par with those made by traditional manufacturing, which involves over 160 parts that are then assembled.
3-D printing not only cuts down the amount of time needed for creating these parts, but also saves labor by just printing two parts.
"We wanted to go a step beyond just testing an injector and demonstrate how 3-D printing could revolutionize rocket designs for increased system performance," says Chris Singer, director of Marshall's Engineering Directorate. "The parts performed exceptionally well during the tests."
In the tests, NASA worked with two companies: Solid Concepts and Direct Manufacturing. Each company printed an injector and assisted with tests, which had each injector producing 20,000 pounds of thrust for five seconds.
The idea here is to use 3-D printing to produce spacecraft parts quickly, as well as less expensively. This will be especially important for manned deep space missions, as spacecrafts for those will be more complex than anything we've seen yet.
NASA is also sending a 3-D printer to the ISS to test their new Zero-G printing technology. This printer will launch soon with the SpaceX-4 resupply mission. The agency is hoping the 3-D printer will allow astronauts to print supplies on demand, rather than wait for supply deliveries.
This, too, is important for deep space, where supply missions would be costly and inefficient, specifically for small tools like special screwdrivers and wrenches.
"I remember when the tip broke off a tool during a mission," says NASA astronaut TJ Creamer. "I had to wait for the next shuttle to come up to bring me a new one. Now, rather than wait for a resupply ship to bring me a new tool, in the future, I could just print it."
NASA's 3-D printer could print a part, such as a wrench, in less than an hour. Even more importantly, ground control could send the instructions for the tool directly to the printer.
Astronauts will test the printer on the ISS in microgravity and researchers will use feedback to build the next-generation of 3-D printers, allowing for the manufacturing and printing of parts in space.
