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The leader in space fabrication technologies Made In Space (MIS) will ship the first ceramic fabrication facility to the International Space Station (ISS) on September 29.
As part of Northrop Grumman’s 14th Commercial Resupply Mission (NG-14), the Turbine Ceramic Fabrication Module (CMM) will be the first stereolithography printer (SLA) to operate in orbit.
“This mission is an exciting opportunity that further demonstrates the value of the ISS as a platform for innovation and business utilization,” said Michael Snyder, MIS chief engineer and chief technology officer for Redwire, the parent company of MIS and the conglomerate. aerospace.
“Through our partnership with NASA, we are identifying and developing advanced in-orbit manufacturing processes that could generate sustainable demand from terrestrial markets. CMM is the first of several missions that could indicate a new market for space-enabled products. “
Additive manufacturing and the ISS
CMM will be the fifth installation that MIS has released to the ISS. In October 2019, MIS developed a plastic recycling facility for 3D printed parts at the station in partnership with the Brazilian petrochemical company Braskem. The company’s operations in orbit and outside the world date back to 2014 through its first and second generation 3D printers.
Last year, NASA installed a Refabricator system from the US aerospace company Tethers Unlimited on the ISS. The Refabricator system is a 3D printer and plastic recycler, developed with a grant from NASA’s Small Business Innovation Research Program. NASA has also partnered with KULR Technology Group to transport and store batteries aboard the ISS through its Thermal Runaway Shield (TRS) storage solution.
In July, industry, academic and government experts attended the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS) virtual Additive Manufacturing in Space Workshop. Attendees discussed additive manufacturing in the microgravity of space and its potential for the development of new advanced materials.
Keynote speakers, including 3D Printing Industry Editor-in-Chief Michael Petch, addressed topics related to microgravity-specific materials and processes, on-site resource utilization and production in space.
The CMM
According to MIS, CMM represents the realization of a ‘completely new’ 3D printing technology aboard the ISS, and one that could increase commercial use of the space station.
The fabrication-in-space device aims to demonstrate the feasibility of fabricating one-piece ceramic turbine components in microgravity environments. Manufacturing turbine parts this way could lead to them exhibiting higher strength and lower residual stress, due to the elimination of gravity-induced defects such as sedimentation and composition gradients.
Developed in partnership with NASA’s ISS Research Integration Office at Johnson Space Center, CMM’s 3D SLA printing method uses a UV-curable resin and a UV laser to print high-precision turbine components.
“The ceramic fabrication technology that Made In Space is delivering to the space station represents an expansion of commercial in-orbit capabilities,” said Matthew Napoli, vice president of In-Space Operations at MIS. “The new capabilities that we are developing, with NASA and our technical partners, can produce game-changing innovations to deliver ground-based benefits through space-enabled manufacturing.”
CMM is the third ISS pilot payload developed through a partnership with NASA, with the goal of increasing demand for commercial Low Earth Orbit (LEO) capabilities.
Calfornia-based HRL Laboratories and Sierra Turbines also participated in CMM’s mission as technical partners.
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Featured image shows the exterior of the ISS. Photo via Roscosmos / NASA / TTUHSC El Paso.
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