The International Space Stations crew has successfully manufactured the first 3D object in space, a landmark that could pave the way for long-term space exploration.

Carting a 3D printer all the way into space might seem like a bit of a gimmick, but the ability to create objects in space could revolutionise space travel. Instead of carrying spare parts for every vital bit of equipment on the astronauts spacecraft, they could install a 3D printer and raw materials and run off whatever piece of hardware they need.

This first print is the initial step toward providing an on-demand machine shop capability away from Earth, said Niki Werkheiser, project manager for the International Space Station 3-D Printer at NASAs Marshall Space Flight Centre. The space station is the only laboratory where we can fully test this technology in space.

International Space Station Commander Barry Butch Wilmore holds up the first object made in space with additive manufacturing or 3-D printing. (Credit: NASA)

Current expedition commander Barry Butch Wilson of NASA installed the device on the ISS ISS on November 17 and conducted the first calibration test print. After beaming the results back home, the ground control team sent up some instructions to realign the printer for a second test on November 20.

The printer was ready to go on November 24, when ground controllers sent the printer the command for the first part the faceplate of the extruders casing a replacement part for itself!

The 3D gadget uses additive manufacturing to heat a relatively low temperature plastic filament and then extrude it layer by layer to build up the part defined in the design file.

When Wilmore went to pick the part up yesterday, he found that it had rather stuck on the tray a bit harder than the team were hoping, which might indicate that layer bonding is different in microgravity than here on Earth.

, Werkheiser said.

As we print more parts well be able to learn whether some of the effects we are seeing are caused by microgravity or just part of the normal fine-tuning process for printing. When we get the parts back on Earth, well be able to do a more detailed analysis to find out how they compare to parts printed on Earth.

Excerpt from:

ISS Astronauts 3D Print The First Spare Part In Space