The European
Space Agency has rolled out a new initiative to refine 3D printing techniques
to make space-grade metal parts.
The project,
called AMAZE, aims to spur innovations that could one day allow astronauts to
print their own metal tools aboard the International Space Station or let
engineers on the ground to print entire satellites.
3D printing, or additive
manufacturing, builds solid objects from a series of layers, typically by
melting powder or wire materials. This technique can produce complex structures
with more flexibility and less waste than traditional manufacturing, which
could translate into big cost and time savings. . [Photos: ESA's
AMAZE Space Metal 3D Printing Project]
Billed as the
world's largest metal 3D-printing project, ESA's initiative brings together 28
industrial partners across the continent. AMAZE is short for Additive
Manufacturing Aiming Towards Zero Waste and Efficient Production of High-Tech
Metal Products.
"We want to
build the best quality metal products ever made," David Jarvis, ESA's Head
of New Materials and Energy Research, said in a statement when the project was
unveiled last week at the London Science Museum.
The group is
focusing on making space-quality components by using lasers, electron beams and
even plasma to melt metal alloys, Jarvis explained. The project also aims to
explore the possibility of combining strong and lightweight, but more exotic
metals, such as tungsten, niobium and platinum, though these materials are
expensive.
As part of the
initiative, four pilot 3D printing-factories are being established in Germany,
Italy, Norway and the United Kingdom. David wants to help standardize the
technique and bring it to the mainstream, connecting key players in the
metallic 3D printing business to develop a supply chain.
ESA officials
say innovations along the way to make 3D printers more
viable for spacecraft could have benefits on Earth, leading to improvements in
aircraft wings, jet engines and automotive systems.
ESA is hardly
alone in its ambition to perfect metal 3D printing for the final frontier.
Among several other NASA endeavors in additive manufacturing, the U.S. space
agency recently completed a successful hot-fire test of thebiggest
3D-printed rocket part built to date: an engine injector
printed with nickel-chromium alloy powder.
There are
several private and university-led efforts, too. Earlier this month, a group of
students at the University of California, San Diego performed their first test
of a 3D-printed engine made from cobalt chromium.
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