Many technologies are marked as cornerstones of the future, but additive manufacturing — commonly known as 3D printing — is proving itself daily in the aerospace and defense sectors. Its versatility and efficiency tackle what may be the greatest space exploration obstacle: supply.
1. Ending Reliance on Supply Lines
The International Space Station receives 7,000 pounds of spare parts annually. Its nooks, crannies, and “closets” hold another 29,000 pounds of spaceflight hardware spares. It costs thousands of dollars per pound to send items spaceward. While resupply runs work well between Earth and the ISS right now, this traffic will not be feasible when humanity branches out to other planets.
3D printing may solve the issue, as it works equally well on terra firma or in low-gravity conditions. Aboard the ISS, NASA has effortlessly printed various items, including tools like wrenches and components for robotics and the oxygen generation system.
2. New Manufacturing Opportunities
The European Space Agency is also making great strides, printing ceramic parts from what will be an in-situ source: lunar soil. This “regolith” is ground, sieved, separated, then mixed with a binding agent. The combination is laid down layer by layer, hardened with exposure to light, then consolidated by being sintered, or baked in an oven.
Moon-modified versions of common 3D printing processes could use sunlight to sinter soil into structures like walls and landing pads. Alternatively, engineers may utilize the near-vacuum state of space to create an ion beam for fabricating large metal fixtures.
3. Revolutionizing Fabrication Methods
Multiple aerospace entities are adopting 3D printing, such as the U.S. Air Force, which is designing portable runway mats from a lightweight, self-healing material. Boeing is also dabbling in additive manufacturing — creating radio antennae and fuel nozzles that simplify multi-part assemblies into a single printed piece. Elsewhere, Airbus is producing satellite frames and Stratodyne LLC is trimming its satellite launch schedules from months to a single day.
4. Eliminating and Repurposing Waste
3D printing resources are also reusable. The ISS recently received a polymer Recycler that turns unneeded plastics into feedstock for fresh prints — solving the dual problems of trash disposal and carrying building material into space. It’s no wonder the defense and aerospace 3D printing market is expected to reach $5.58 billion by 2026.
5. Offering Limitless Potential
Overall, aerospace 3D printing reduces costs, waste, and labor while expediting time-to-market, bypassing supply chains, and providing stronger, lighter next-gen materials. The ultimate test will come far from home and far from now: Can 3D printing help humanity settle Mars and, eventually, more distant solar outposts?
With exciting advances every day, this is a technology for which the sky isn’t the limit.
Learn more about how you can give your aerospace and defense supply chain a boost with manufacturing on demand.
