News and Insights of 3D Printing and Manufacturing
Aerospace company Relativity has signed an agreement with NASA and secured an incentive package from the Mississippi Development Authority for the expansion of facilities at NASA’s Stennis Space Center in Hancock County, MS. The historic facility first opened in 1961 and is today NASA’s largest rocket engine testing site.
UK-based Marshall Aerospace and Defence Group has revealed the various ways in which it is employing 3D printing technologies, and specifically Stratasys’ FDM systems, to produce flight-ready parts for aircraft and ground-running equipment. The company says that additive manufacturing has enabled it to reduce production costs for certain components, while often also reducing weight.
Canadian additive manufacturing company Burloak Technologies is teaming up with MDA, a company specializing in space robotics, satellite payloads, antennas and more, to accelerate commercial space applications for additive manufacturing processes.
While bioprinting technologies are gradually advancing here on Earth, the next giant leap in the technology’s evolution could come from beyond the stratosphere. The ability to bioprint tissues and cellular structures in space could result in more sophisticated structures, which could culture without the pull of gravity. There are already efforts underway to bring bioprinting to space—notably, Russian company 3D Bioprinting Solutions recently deployed the first bioprinter, the Organ.Aut, to the ISS.
Titomic Limited, an Australian metal 3D printing company, has appointed Nathanael Miller, a former Aerospace Technologist for NASA, as its new Chief Technology Officer. Miller will bring his many years of experience in the aerospace sector to develop commercial opportunities for Titomic with industry, government, academic and research partners with a particular focus on the emerging commercial space industry.
Last year, Nano Dimension and technology company Harris Corporation achieved a breakthrough in 3D printed electronics with the production of a radio frequency (RF) amplifier. Now, the companies will further their cooperation by jointly developing hardware destined for the International Space Station. The recent partnership, supported by a grant from the Israel Innovation Authority, aims to establish a systemic ground analysis of 3D printed materials for RF space systems, such as Nano-satellites.
Composite 3D printing specialist Impossible Objects is not only introducing its latest 3D printer, the CBAM-2, today: the company has lifted the lid on an exciting collaboration with the Utah Advanced Materials & Manufacturing Initiative (UAMMI) focused on defense applications. Specifically, UAMMI has successfully fit-checked its first 3D printed carbon fiber part—made using an Impossible Objects printer—for the United States Air Force.
Russian scientists, together with their colleagues from Israel and the United States, plan to send muscular tissue biomaterials to the International Space Station (ISS) in September for a bioprinting experiment. They will be using 3D Bio’s Organ-Aut bioprinter which was sent up to the ISS late last year.
The satellite world is undergoing a massive upheaval. Thanks to advancements in computing and new manufacturing techniques, even spacecraft with the most critical responsibilities are becoming smaller and more inexpensive. As a result, satellite owners are building them faster and in greater quantities than ever before. Launch service providers like Virgin Orbit are working to build vehicles that can match this rapid evolution — which means they must continuously explore and implement new techniques, tools and materials.
Industrial gas expert Linde announced progress in its joint project with aerospace company Liebherr-Aerospace Toulouse SAS to optimize the metal additive manufacturing process. The companies teamed up to improve aluminum AM production for aircraft components by tweaking oxygen levels in the print chamber. At this stage, the companies have reported improvements in product quality and production repeatability.