Additive manufacturing finds a home 250 miles above Earth

NASA astronaut Barry (Butch) Wilmore holds a ratchet wrench built with the 3D printer aboard the International Space Station using a design file transmitted from Earth. NASA

NASA posted an article late last year about 3D printing activities aboard the International Space Station. Parts have been 3D-printed since 2014 aboard the ISS, which has been home to a rotating group of astronauts for two decades.

They use dozens of specialized facilities aboard the space station to conduct scientific research. One of them is the Additive Manufacturing Facility (AMF), where parts and devices are printed from engineered plastics and other materials.

Supporting the astronauts’ research and what they need to live aboard for an extended time requires sending more than 7,000 lbs. of spare parts to the space station annually and storing 29,000 lbs. of hardware onboard.

A goal of putting the permanent AMF aboard the ISS was to help NASA prepare for missions much farther from Earth.

In the article, titled “Solving the Challenges of Long Duration Space Flight with 3D Printing,” author Melissa Gaskill, writes: “This logistics support system works well for a spacecraft that is orbiting 250 miles above Earth and readily accessible to cargo resupply missions. It is not practical for future missions to the Moon and Mars, however. Astronauts on these long voyages need to be able to make their own spare parts, tools and materials essentially on demand—both for routine needs and to adapt quickly to unforeseen ones. In-space manufacturing using 3D printing technology could be an answer.”

Sidebar: NASA and the Smithsonian make their 3D printing files available to the public.