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Basalt Fiber-Reinforced ABS: Researchers Develop Thermoplastic Composite for Use in Space

In the recently published ‘Development and Mechanical Properties of Basalt Fiber-Reinforced Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene for In-Space Manufacturing Applications,’ we learn more about materials necessary for building in space; for example, a habitat on Mars would most likely be built out of a combination of materials from Earth as well as what is naturally found there, cutting expenses exponentially.

As technology progresses, we realize that space travel and colonizing will mean extreme measures in sustainability. As the reality of a NASA mission to Mars looms, there are years of preparation ahead, along with enormous research and development efforts required to figure out logistics and countless details. Materials science will figure in predominantly though as it is critical to areas like aircraft maintenance and more, but also colonization.

The researchers list the most important features for space material:

Strength
Stiffness
Impact resistance
Ability to shield from radiation

For the near future, the research team decided to develop and test a thermoplastic composite, mixing both acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) and basalt for testing at the Additive Manufacturing Facility at the International Space Station. During this study, one of the main considerations was the expense for transporting materials, leading to a strong focus on how much local material would be available and could be used.

“The most reasonable alternative is to use as much locally available material as possible along with any recyclable waste from cargo missions, such as packaging materials,” stated the researchers. “This is different than traditional composite material design, in which there is an optimization between the amount of reinforcing fibrous material that strengthens the material and cost of the fibrous materials.”

(Left) Dreytek 3 mm basalt fibers, (Right) Basalt fibers and ABS pellets premixed for compounding.

3D printing in space has gone from a concept to a reality as astronauts have been fabricating test items, tools, and more at the ISS. Test samples sent back to Earth have been reviewed and evaluated as successful, with a 3D printer now installed at the ISS permanently.

In examining the materials found on Mars, the researchers remind us that this smaller planet has a surface not unlike the crust found on Earth. Fine particles and basalt cover a volcanic rock layer around 6 to 30 miles thick. Basalt fibers can be made in a similar fashion to the manufacturing of glass fibers and then used for reinforcement. Previous research has shown basalt mixed with PLA quite successfully, but these projects were not centered around space travel and colonization.

The composite developed for this study was used with FFF 3D printing, in the form of a FlashForge Creator Pro 3D printer and 1.75mm filament. Five ratios were fabricated, and four were 3D printed in the end. Basalt can be easily mined and made into fibers, and while there were several choices of material to mix it with, the research team chose ABS because of low extrusion temperature and previous testing in microgravity experiments. It can be recycled too, and even used as packaging for other cargo.

The filament manufacturing extrusion process (a) Single-screw extruder (b) Extrudate puller (c) Spooler (d) Spooled ABS-basalt filament.

Composite pellets were created for each fiber ratio, with accompanying 1.75mm filament. And while the 60 percent fiber ratio was assessed as too stiff for spooling and not suitable for small 3D printers, the researchers did not see that as an issue if large-scale printers were to be in use in space, fed by pellets. X-rays showed an even mix of the composite during both extrusion and deposition. They also proved that the material could be used for the fabrication of small tools.

“Further testing needs to be done on this material to learn about its fatigue strength (SN curve). Repeating similar testing to this paper but adding additional fiber content ratios between 25% and 40% would also be beneficial to future designers,” concluded the researchers.

“Fiber ratios above 40 percent should also be tested on large scale 3D printers equipped with a pellet extruder. Finally, studies should be conducted related to the recyclability of ABS packaging materials then used as an ABS-Basalt construction material for 3D printing.”

While 3D printing at the International Space Station is fascinating in its own right, the idea of colonizing the moon or Mars is doubly so; however, there is much ground to cover, from what type of materials and construction to use, to how long people will be able to sustain themselves. What do you think of this news? Let us know your thoughts! Join the discussion of this and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com.

Fiber distribution of the final 3D printed component.

[Source / Images: ‘Development and Mechanical Properties of Basalt Fiber-Reinforced Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene for In-Space Manufacturing Applications’]

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Made in Space: Proving Further 3D Printing & Robotics Capabilities with Archinaut System

We hear a lot of talk these days from global aerospace players about how 3D printing and robotics will further space travel, assist in further exploration of the Moon, colonize Mars, and employ futuristic plans that sound like they will allow many of us to live out fantasies not unlike those we’ve enjoyed during sci-fi movies (just leave out the apocalyptic darkness and terrifying space monsters please).

Now, Made in Space is continuing to live up to their name in regards to technical functionality in space, having just reached another achievement with Archinaut, part of an ongoing collaboration with NASA to further self-sustainability in space through construction of satellites and even entire spacecraft while away from Earth. In connection with their NASA Tipping Point contract, they have further proven AM and robotics capabilities in testing, in cooperation with the Archinaut Technology Development Project (ATDP), funded by NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD).

The system was evaluated in thermal vacuum (TVAC) testing last fall in Redondo Beach, California at Northrop Grumman’s Space Park facility, during simulation of thermal and pressure environment of a satellite in Low Earth Orbit (LEO). This is just one more critical step toward making the Archinaut system ready for manufacturing parts in space, using dynamic programs like the PowerKit system, able to deploy a 2kW power system on a 150 kg ESPA-class satellite—exhibiting power five times that of current systems. Other deployment systems include an antenna that can perform major duties like exploring space, along with managing telecommunications and remote sensing.

“This technology will contribute to a more sophisticated low earth economy and lay the groundwork for more advanced commercial utilization of space,” added Rush.

MIS has even set a record with their extended additive manufacturing technology (ESAMM), capable of making structures longer than even the machine itself, with a Guinness World Record set at 37.7 meters long. In testing, MIS was also able to demonstration successful operation of ESAMM in a thermal vacuum chamber.

Led by Made in Space, other partners such as Northrop Grumman are providing integral development to the project also, mainly in systems integration. Oceaneering Space Systems was responsible for the robotic arm which will be so integral to the creation of sizeable structures built in space, along performing necessary upgrades. The robotics system can also be made responsible for doing repairs, along with small sat integration when payload retrievals and installations are necessary in space. During testing, the MIS team was able to show off the functionality of features like the following:

Autonomous reversible connection
Joining techniques of 3D printed parts
Nodes and trusses for robotic arm
End effector for assembly operations

“We are very proud of our team for achieving this critical proof point that ultimately lines us up for operational missions with customers in both government and commercial sectors,” said Andrew Rush, President & CEO of Made in Space. “We look forward to the next steps of preparing Archinaut-enabled missions for flight.”

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[Source /Images: Made in Space press release]

Made in Space delivered the first 3D printer to the International Space Station.

Chinese Scientists Building Solar Space Station, Projecting that 3D Printing & Robotics Will Assist in the Future

Once again, 3D printing and robotics are to be called on as futuristic space plans are developed, this time by the Chinese as they look toward creating a solar power station to orbit the earth at 36,000 kilometers. In an effort to continue seeking alternatives for renewable energy, the Chinese government is studying ways to harness energy from the sun without other obstacles such as blockage from the atmosphere, or lack of sunlight due to seasons and darkness at night.

And while many projections for going to space are mere concepts, China’s Science and Technology Daily reported that construction has already begun on a space power plant in Chongqing, although it is still in the experimental stages; furthermore, Pang Zhihao, a researcher from the China Academy of Space Technology Corporation, states that the new space station offers enormous potential with the possibility of offering ‘an inexhaustible source of clean energy for humans.”

Chinese scientists will begin with a small- to medium-sized solar power station for creating electricity, sending it into space sometime between 2021-2025. After that, they plan to construct a megawatt space solar power station.

And as excitement builds, Li Ming, the vice president of the China Academy of Space Technology says he sees China as ‘the first country to build a space solar power station with practical value.’

Zhihao says that electric cars can be charged with such solar energy, and it could be provided nearly all the time—surpassing current, progressive solar energy farms on Earth by six times as the sun’s rays are transformed into electricity or microwave or laser beams.

Zhihao also envisions challenges for the renewable energy project but expects they will be overcome—including transporting a 1000-ton space station (in comparison to the 450-ton ISS) to space; however, with the assistance of futuristic, laboring robots and 3D printers pumping out construction materials, it may be possible to build the solar energy station in space—a topic which has been explored multiple times in terms of considering construction for habitats on the moon or Mars, with regolith or ‘space dirt’ usually playing a future role.

How space solar power works (Image: Jamie Brown)

As other countries begin to follow suit regarding such energy exchanges, the positive impact on the environment could be exactly what is needed, along with propelling China further in their quests for deep space exploration. 3D printing, already in the works for this space station, it would seem, could continue to play a major role in space due to the options it provides in self sustainability.

With a 3D printer in tow and the materials and tools for making parts, astronauts and space travelers can look forward to an entirely new experience—and eventually, residents of the moon or Mars will be part of colonization fabricated by machines using strong but lightweight alternative materials that can be carried into space, or perhaps found there.

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[Source / Images: Sydney Morning Herald]

A prototype created by California Institute of Technology scientists to harness and transmit solar energy from space using light weight tiles.

NASA Nebraska Space Grant Means Further Collaboration with Copper3D to Study Microbial Risk in Space

Chilean startup Copper3D and 3D printing endeavors at the International Space Station are both interests we have followed actively—but never together up until last year when NASA expressed interest in their antibacterial 3D printing filament, PLACTIVE. A collaboration between the two entities makes a lot of sense when you consider the obvious need for avoiding unwanted bacteria (and resulting infections) in space, and especially for astronauts to avoid immune system dysregulation.

3D printing at the International Space Station has been highly publicized, not only because it is an exciting use of new technology, but also because the ability to produce parts on demand, like a simple wrench, means incredible potential for the future in terms of maintenance during space travel or at the ISS, and even perhaps during the construction of colonization on Mars. The idea of bioprinting in space has of course taken such fabrication one step further as well. Both bioprinting and 3D printing of polymers in space seem to be part of the extensive sets of technologies that are needed to colonize space. We don’t know how astronauts will get hurt or what on the craft will break nor do we know the unforeseen circumstances that space crews will find themselves in. Increasingly 3D printing is being seen as the technology to ensure against any eventualities.

No matter what type of 3D printing is happening though, it has come to the attention of NASA that astronauts may need to avoid dangerous microbes while creating parts—innovative as they may be. In some cases, microbes may even be altered from their typical state when grown during flight. This could pose dangers to human immune systems, as well as causing a higher risk of infectious disease during spaceflight.

Dr. Claudio Soto, Medical Director of Copper3D, expounded on the dangers of and details surrounding immune system dysregulation:

“It is an entity that is recently being studied and that could put long-term space missions at risk, for example those that are expected to be made in the future on Mars. What is known so far is that there could be a sum of factors behind this problem such as radiation, multi-resistant microbes, stress, microgravity, altered sleep cycles and isolation. To these factors we can add others, for example studies have demonstrated that the methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus strain shows enhanced antibiotic resistance in microgravity-analogue conditions suggesting potential alterations in antibiotic efficacy during spaceflights. Thus, there is a critical need for preventive countermeasures to mitigate microbial risks during space flight missions.”

Copper3D’s specialty in antimicrobial 3D printing, accompanied by NASA’s growing interest in the matter, could be vital to the future health of everyone traveling—or eventually living—in space.

“Basically, our idea is to introduce to the 3D printing industry the concept of Active Materials, that is, materials that are no longer inert and only support structures but now they are active components that play a specific role and adds great value to the final 3D printed object, in this case the attribute is that these objects are completely antimicrobial,” said Daniel Martinez, Director of Innovation and CMO of Copper3D. “This new technology, based on a patented additive with copper nanostructures and other carriers/controller elements, can have a very positive impact on the new challenges faced by NASA facing the long-term space missions and this specific problem with the Immune System Dysregulation.

“Imagine the impact that this new generation of 3D printed objects can have on the early treatment of complex wounds, on avoiding infections of all kinds or in a whole new generation of active/antimicrobial medical devices.”

Funding from the NASA Nebraska Space Grant office will allow researchers to further examine features of 3D printed medical devices for astronauts.

“The objective is to test the antimicrobial properties of this material in the ISS,” states Dr. Jorge Zuniga, researcher from the Department of Biomechanics of the University of Nebraska at Omaha.

Everyone involved in examining the use of materials in space has been on an expansive journey, full of learning, along with discovering new ways to use technology and accompanying features.

“This new research collaboration with NASA will help us to validate this concept in very extreme conditions, which also leads us to think that this new type of materials can also be very useful to solve the great challenges and problems that we face here on earth … this is just the beginning and we know that it will be a huge revolution in the way we understand manufacturing and the nature of materials,” concluded Andrés Acuña, CEO of Copper3D.

Find out more about the grant and individuals involved in the project here.

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[Press Release & Images shared with 3DPrint.com by Copper3D]

BEEVERYCREATIVE Continues Work with ESA: New ISS 3D Printer to be Developed

BEEVERYCREATIVE first established an outer space connection in 2016, when the Portuguese company was asked by the European Space Agency (ESA) to develop a breadboard, or prototype, 3D printer for the International Space Station. Project Manufacturing of Experimental Layer Technology, or MELT, was successfully delivered to the ISS last May as a fully functional 3D printer prototype capable of 3D printing in microgravity conditions and utilizing engineering polymers with high end mechanical and thermal properties.

Now BEEVERYCREATIVE has been recruited by the ESA again. Project Imperial, like Project MELT, will be carried out by an international consortium of organizations. It will be led by OHB System AG, one of Europe’s three leading space companies. OHB System has been heavily involved in space manufacturing over the last three years, having participated in Project MELT as well as a study called URBAN, which involved the conception of a lunar base using 3D printing technologies.

The goal of Project Imperial is to design, develop and test a fully functioning 3D printer model that can perform under the requirements of the International Space Station. The printer will use engineering thermoplastics and alleviate build volume constraints. In order to demonstrate the 3D printer’s functionality, several parts will need to be 3D printed and tested. The printed parts, according to BEEVERYCREATIVE, will demonstrate the capability of in-space manufacturing to enable new maintenance and life support strategies for human space flight.

“This new project is a validation of our ability to develop technology in an area, aerospace, which will certainly have a great impact on our future lives,” said Mario Angelo, CTO of BEEVERYCREATIVE.

Also involved in the project will be German space company Sonaca Space GmbH and Ireland’s Athlone Institute of Technology.

Project Imperial is the latest endeavor to advance in-space 3D printing, a long-term project with many participants that began with the first 3D printer delivered to the ISS in 2014. A lot of the news surrounding 3D printing in space relates to that 3D printer and its follow-up, the Additive Manufacturing Facility, manufactured by Made In Space and sponsored by NASA. While NASA grabs many of the headlines, however, the ESA is plenty busy with the development of 3D printers capable of performing in zero gravity, as demonstrated by Project MELT and now Project Imperial.

Regardless of who is building the 3D printers, however, the fact is that in-space manufacturing is thriving, with 3D printing becoming the go-to technology for creating spare parts, medical supplies, and other needed items for astronauts on board the ISS. In-space 3D printing has come a long way since that first 3D printer was delivered, with ISS printers now capable of printing with engineering-grade materials and growing more advanced with every iteration.

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[Images: BEEVERYCREATIVE]

An Assessment of the Conditions Needed for 3D Printing A Village on the Moon

For a few years now, the European Space Agency (ESA) has been talking seriously about building a habitable village on the moon, and 3D printing is a big part of that plan. Because construction supplies can’t be feasibly transported in a spaceship, building habitats on the moon would involve 3D printing them from materials found on the moon’s surface. In a paper entitled “Additive Manufacturing for a Moon Village,” a group of researchers examines the feasibility of 3D printing structures on the moon, and what 3D printing technologies might be used to do so.

Five different structure concepts are presented in the paper:

Spherical inflatable, a spherical pneumatic envelope with an interior structural cage to support the floors, walls and equipment
Tuft-Pillow, a structural concept that consist of quilted inflatable pressurized tensile structures using fiber composites
Lunar base cable structure in a crater, which would use natural features on the moon to reduce excavation and the amount of shielding that is needed
Three-hinged arch main structure, an efficient way of coping with structural requirements
Lunar lava tubes, which would involve building below the moon’s surface

The researchers discuss the idea of using in-situ resources, or regolith, the material found on the moon. Many simulations have been carried out already, with 3D printed structures being built from materials similar to those that naturally occur on the moon’s surface.

“Additive manufacturing techniques are required to be tested in analogues, because the Moon environment may affect both its operation and performance,” the researchers point out. “In particular, successful operation in vacuum with reduced gravity (approximately 17% of the Earth’s one) is crucial for the installation and later use of the machinery. In addition, the permanent exposition of the building to a harsh radiation environment as well as the micrometeorite striking should be assessed.”

The main characteristics that need to be reproduced for testing are chemical composition, mineralogy, particle size distribution and engineering properties. Moondust varies in constitution depending on where it is found on the moon, so those variations also need to be taken into consideration. The researchers then discuss the different types of additive manufacturing and how they could be applied to use with moon regolith, rejecting stereolithography, for example, as non-feasible with that kind of material. Powder bed fusion is highlighted as the best method, with lenses capturing solar rays replacing laser beams.

The researchers point to an experiment performed by Markus Kayser in 2010, in which beams of sunlight were used to 3D print sand in the desert. Using this method on the moon would require strategically locating the moon base in a highly sunlit area, such as the south pole, which has been proposed by the ESA.

“The Moon Village mission aims for the construction of a permanent base on the Moon surface capable of providing life-support for a long mission duration,” the researchers conclude. “Additive manufacturing techniques using in-situ resources have been considered an alternative to help the construction of the permanent base, because of the huge cost of sending mass to the lunar surface. The raw material to be used is the regolith, which can be broadly described as the dust obtained after centuries of micrometeorite striking. The Moon Village can be a suitable frame to further develop additive manufacturing, adapting it to solve the new challenges.”

Authors of the paper include Nuria Labeaga Martínez, M. Sanjurjo-Rivo, J. Díaz-Álvarez and J. Martínez-Frías.

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SEArch+ and Apis Cor Take Top Prize in Latest Level of NASA’s 3D Printed Habitat Challenge

[Image: Team SEArch+/Apis Cor]

Since NASA’s 3D Printed Habitat Challenge began, it has been fascinating to follow the competition as it moves through its multiple levels and phases. At its inception in 2014 the competition, asked participants to work towards designing habitats that could be 3D printed using materials found on Mars. The competition is structured in three phases. Phase 1 was the Design Competition, which required teams to submit architectural renderings. Phase 2, the Structural Member Competition, asked teams to 3D print actual structural components such as cones and cylinders as well as beams and domes.

[Image: Pennsylvania State University]

Phase 3 is the On-Site Habitat Competition, which is currently taking place. It has five sub-levels: three construction levels and two virtual levels. Level 1 was a virtual level that had teams using design software to illustrate their concepts for full habitats. Level 2, which just concluded, was a construction level that asked teams to 3D print one of the most important parts of any structure – the foundation slab.

The 3D printed slabs were evaluated and scored using multiple criteria like strength, durability and material composition. To test their strength, a standard Olympic shot put was dropped on each slab three times to simulate a meteor strike. To test durability, the slabs were subjected to freeze/thaw tests that simulated the temperature extremes that would be found on Mars.

The winner of this round was Team SEArch+/Apis Cor. SEArch+, or Space Exploration Architecture, is a New York-based firm that has been working for a decade with NASA’s Johnson Space Center Human Habitability Division and Langley Research Center to develop ideas for human habitation on Mars. In 2015, its Mars Ice House concept won first place in Phase 1 of the competition. The beautiful, surreal design relied on 3D printed subsurface ice to create a translucent structure.

Apis Cor is a Russian company that was the first to develop a mobile 3D printer that can print buildings entirely on site. Last year, the company claimed to have 3D printed a house in 24 hours and used multiple advanced technologies to furnish the inside, offering a glimpse of what the homes of the future may look like. The mobile 3D printer was used to print the thick foundation slab required for this level of the competition.

[Image: Team FormForge|Austin Industries|WPM]

The slab performed well in all of the tests it was subjected to. In a way, this level showed, more than any before, the true potential of 3D printing technology to actually build structures that can stand up to Mars’ harsh conditions.

“This level prepares the teams for more difficult levels to come, and they had to do it autonomously, which adds an extra level of difficulty that will be necessary for space exploration,” said Monsi Roman, program manager for NASA’s Centennial Challenges. “Each of the skills tested in these levels will come into play for the final competition next spring.”

Team SEArch+/Apis Cor was awarded $55,154.77 for winning first place in this level of the competition. Second place, with a prize of $32,914.75, went to Pennsylvania State University, while third place and $31,930.48 went to Team FormForge|Austin Industries|WPM. The total amount of prize money for this level was $120,000.

Subsequent levels will involve 3D printing other elements of the habitat; the competition will culminate in 2019 with a final level that requires a one-third scale level 3D print of the entire habitat.

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