A staff of researchers from Auburn College and NASA Marshall Area Flight Middle has efficiently demonstrated a brand new additive manufacturing (AM) course of that would enable astronauts to fabricate digital parts straight in house. Printed in npj Superior Manufacturing, the examine confirmed that conductive silver and copper buildings might be produced in microgravity utilizing a dry, ink-free printing course of. The researchers say the work might assist make on-demand electronics manufacturing attainable throughout future house missions.
Astronauts have already used 3D printers in house to make instruments and alternative components. Electronics are a distinct problem. Most of the strategies being explored right now depend on liquid supplies, which might be tough to work with in weightlessness and will not be all the time sensible to be used in house.
The undertaking is the results of a number of years of labor led by Auburn College researcher Masoud Mahjouri-Samani, who additionally based NanoPrintek, a startup targeted on dry nanoparticle manufacturing applied sciences. In 2022, NASA awarded the staff $1.5 million to develop and take a look at the system to be used in house environments.
Auburn’s Masoud Mahjouri-Samani tries a 3D printed digital machine. Picture courtesy of NanoPrintek.
To resolve this, researchers developed what they name a dry additive nanomanufacturing platform, or Dry-ANM. As an alternative of printing with inks, the system creates tiny steel particles (or nanoparticles), locations them on a floor, after which sinters them collectively to kind conductive buildings. The method makes use of silver and copper, two of the commonest supplies utilized in electronics. The machine itself is fairly compact—roughly the dimensions of a small equipment—measuring about 60 centimeters on both sides, and combines particle technology, printing, and sintering in only one system; this is a crucial characteristic for future house missions the place room is proscribed.
Not like many typical 3D printing methods, the platform generates the steel nanoparticles throughout the manufacturing course of itself reasonably than counting on pre-made inks or powders. The expertise was designed to keep away from a number of the challenges related to liquid-based manufacturing methods, making it notably enticing to be used in house.
Dry-ANM Microgravity Printing Marketing campaign. Picture courtesy of Mahjouri-Samani et al., npj Superior Manufacturing (2026).
The staff examined the expertise throughout a two-day collection of parabolic flights, which create quick intervals of weightlessness. Throughout 50 separate microgravity classes lasting about 25 seconds every, the researchers efficiently produced conductive steel buildings and noticed the method in microgravity. The staff used the system to create silver and copper options, together with antennas and different conductive patterns.
The flights have been carried out as a part of a NASA-supported marketing campaign first introduced by Auburn researchers final yr. The paper printed this month offers the primary detailed take a look at how the system carried out in microgravity.
Payload Design and Evaluation together with printer system structure, put in payload, operator ergonomics, and FEMAP mannequin. Picture courtesy of Mahjouri-Samani et al., npj Superior Manufacturing (2026).
One of many key findings was that the steel particles behaved in a different way in microgravity than they do on Earth. Even so, the staff was in a position to regulate the method and proceed producing purposeful steel options throughout the assessments. In response to the paper, they imagine additional refinements might enhance the expertise’s efficiency much more. The researchers additionally famous that the platform has beforehand been used with extra supplies, together with zinc oxide, indium tin oxide, and dielectric supplies, suggesting it might ultimately be used to fabricate extra advanced digital methods.
What makes this analysis fascinating will not be merely that electronics might be printed in house. The expertise might ultimately enable crews to make customized sensors, restore broken methods, and produce alternative digital parts on demand. As an alternative of carrying giant inventories of spare components, future missions might probably fabricate what they want once they want it.
The researchers say this could possibly be notably invaluable for missions past Earth orbit. A visit to Mars, for instance, might take months, making alternative components tough to get. If one thing breaks, astronauts might make their very own alternative components, as an alternative of ready for provides from Earth.
Printer in operation below microgravity displaying the particle technology (inexperienced colour in chamber), particle supply via the nozzle, and sintering and printing course of in actual time. Picture courtesy of Mahjouri-Samani et al., npj Superior Manufacturing (2026).
This isn’t the primary time 3D printed electronics have been concerned in house analysis. Researchers have beforehand despatched 3D printed digital parts to house for testing, and several other teams have explored methods to fabricate electronics in orbit. Nevertheless, making the supplies wanted for these gadgets in microgravity continues to be a giant problem. To discover that drawback, the researchers targeted on the manufacturing course of itself. Their experiments confirmed that conductive steel buildings could possibly be created throughout repeated intervals of weightlessness. Not like many printed electronics methods, which depend on liquid supplies, the Auburn-developed platform makes use of a totally dry course of, eliminating one of many challenges related to manufacturing in house.
The timing of this analysis is basically good. NASA’s Artemis II mission accomplished its flight across the Moon earlier this yr, and Artemis III is scheduled for 2027 because the company works towards longer-duration missions deeper into house. So it’s straightforward to see that as astronauts journey farther from Earth, changing broken tools turns into fairly tough. Applied sciences that enable crews to fabricate digital parts on demand might assist assist all the pieces from sensors and communications {hardware} to vital spacecraft methods. In spite of everything, producing digital parts the place they’re wanted, reasonably than launching each alternative half from Earth, stays one of many long-term targets of in-space manufacturing.
Subscribe to Our E-mail Publication
Keep up-to-date on all the newest information from the 3D printing business and obtain info and provides from third celebration distributors.
Add your 3D Fashions and get them printed rapidly and effectively.
