Why NASA loves 3D printing
posted 12 November 2014 at 14:57:25
The Orbital 3D printer, designed by company Made
In Space, has made headlines by being blasted into space to undergo rigorous
testing. And it’s already beginning to prove its worth. When the Made In Space
team heard that the astronauts needed a ratcheting socket wrench to perform a
task on the spaceship, they got to work and quickly designed the tool to their
exact specifications. Then they prepared the 3D file for printing and relayed
the data to the space station, so that all the astronauts needed to do was to
hit the Print button. Result: one ratcheting socket wrench printed in Space. Job
done!
Picture: NASA