Airbus & NASA: 3D Printing, the Sourcing Strategy for Space

Exciting developments in additive manufacturing, as the first 3D metal part has been printed in space.

Following an analysis showing that microgravity has no significant impact on the additive manufacturing process, the aerospace industry has focused on refining it to support new logistics systems for long-term space missions.

After spending seven months aboard the International Space Station (ISS), 400 kilometers above Earth, the European Space Agency’s (ESA) metal 3D printer successfully demonstrated the viability of producing metal parts in microgravity.

The 3D printer, developed by Airbus, was first installed on a space station in January this year.

In May, the same model was also placed in the ISS Columbus module, with printing operations managed by the French space agency CNES from their ISS payload control center.

While 3D-printed parts have been used on the ISS before, this is the first time the entire process—from design to production—has been completed in space.

This achievement, years in the making, involved extensive collaboration between ESA, NASA, and Airbus.

But why is the ability to 3D print in space so important?

And how specifically does it relate to sourcing and procurement?

The non-viability of sourcing parts in space

For nearly two decades, astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) have been conducting scientific research.

To support their basic needs-eating, sleeping, exercising, and relaxing-over 7,000 pounds of spare parts are sent to the station annually.

An additional 39,000 pounds are kept on standby on Earth, while 29,000 pounds of spare hardware are stored aboard the station.

This logistics system can sustain a spacecraft that remains orbiting Earth.

However, this system won’t work for future missions to Mars and the Moon, where astronauts will need to produce their own spare parts, materials, and tools on demand.

Additive manufacturing addresses this sourcing dilemma through it's distributed manufacturing- which is proving popular back on Earth too.

BCG estimates that the value of the 3D printing market is set to reach US$95bn by 2032.

By 2040 this method will make up an estimated 1%-2% of the world’s global manufacturing market.

3D printing: unlocking the future of space exploration

Additive manufacturing makes procuring spare parts or tools in space easy. It reduces costs, inventory demands and eliminates the need for transport from Earth.

Since it generates minimal waste, it also solves the challenge of waste disposal in space.

This technology will empower astronauts on extended missions to the Moon and Mars, enhancing their independence and the self-sufficiency of space stations.

3D printing can also create structural components for the technologies required to maintain a long-term presence in these environments.

“The metal 3D printer will bring new on-orbit manufacturing capabilities, including the possibility to produce load-bearing structural parts that are more resilient than a plastic equivalent,” says Gwenaëlle Aridon, Airbus Space Assembly lead engineer. 

“Astronauts will be able to directly manufacture tools such as wrenches or mounting interfaces that could connect several parts together. The flexibility and rapid availability of 3D printing will greatly improve astronauts’ autonomy.” 

As we imagine the future of space exploration and aerospace innovation, it's critical to consider what procurement may look like among the stars.

“Increasing the level of maturity and automation of additive manufacturing in space could be a game changer for supporting life beyond Earth,” Aridon adds.

“Thinking beyond the ISS, the applications  could be amazing. Imagine a metal printer using transformed regolith [moondust] or recycled materials to build a lunar base!”

“Space will be the ultimate demonstration of distributed manufacturing,” Wilderich Heising, Partner at Boston Consulting Group (BCG) agrees. 

“In the ‘old world’ you were dependent on factories to supply products, whereas 3D printing allows the printing of products near to where they are needed, for example, in space, on oil rigs, or at remote aircraft maintenance sites across the globe."

Despite this phenomenal potential to build on the future of space travel and tourism, achieving 3D printing in space has come with considerable challenges. 

Challenges which highlight the need to pursue broader scalability and innovation in the area.

What stands in the way of AM powered space sourcing?

If sourcing parts in space through additive manufacturing was easy, it would already be an aerospace norm. 

In reality this process is notably difficult, due to the harsh environment of space and the need to handle printed parts responsibly.

“The first challenge with this technology demonstrator was size,” says Sébastien Girault, Metal 3D Printer System Engineer at Airbus.

“On Earth, current metal 3D printers are installed in a minimum ten square metre laboratory. To create the prototype for the ISS, we had to shrink the printer to the size of a washing machine”.

This miniaturisation was required so the 3D printer could fit inside the rack where it would be housed on board the ISS’ Columbus Laboratory. 

“At this size, we can print parts with a volume of nine centimetres high and five centimetres wide,” Girault continues.

“The second challenge is safety: protecting the ISS from the aggressive printing environment caused by the laser and the heat it generates. The printer sits in a sealed metal box, which acts like a safe.”

The printer’s sealed box ensures low levels of oxygen to maintain onboard safety, oxygen which is replaced with nitrogen during printing to reduce risk of fire and prevent the metal from oxidising.

“The melting point of metal alloys compatible with this process can be far over 1,200°C degrees compared to around 200°C degrees for plastic, which implies drastic thermal control.” adds Girault. 

Another issue was managing gravity, as zero gravity environments differ in pressure to those on Earth.

Printers are designed with our own planet in mind, and subsequently struggle with this change in pressure.

“Gravity management is also key, which is why we chose wire-based printing technology," Girault explains.

"The wire is independent of gravity unlike the powder-based system, which always has to fall to the ground.

“Whether it's plastic or metal, fumes are emitted that have to be dealt with by filters and captured inside the machine so that they do not contaminate the air inside the ISS.” 

When opening the printer’s sealed, safe-like box, the surrounding atmosphere needed to be restored to normal to retrieve the samples without depressurisation.

Another challenge was material behavior.

Certain materials commonly used in 3D printing can't be used in space, as their chemical composition can change in zero gravity.

The need to inspect printed parts also posed an issue. Each part must be verified for its intended use, requiring inspections to be conducted in space. If a part didn’t meet standards, a new one had to be printed.

IFS, Airbus, and NASA tackled these challenges through meticulous planning, testing, and innovation, emphasizing the importance of distributed manufacturing and the need for new innovative sourcing methods to support our journey into space.

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