\tEnabling & Support<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t13\/11\/2025
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This February, the first-ever metal part 3D-printed in space landed on Earth. Produced in the European Space Agency\u2019s Metal 3D Printer Technology Demonstrator on the International Space Station, it is now in the hands of ESA\u2019s engineers at ESTEC, the agency\u2019s technical centre in the Netherlands, who poke and prod it to understand how microgravity affected its printing process.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFirst metal part 3D-printed in space<\/a><\/p>\n With future missions venturing deeper into space, in-orbit manufacturing will become essential. Tailoring existing 3D printing methods to reliably function in microgravity will allow astronauts to manufacture tools or replacement parts for repairs without depending on costly resupply missions.<\/p>\n In January 2024, ESA launched the first metal 3D printer<\/a> to the International Space Station (ISS). This technology demonstrator was developed by an Airbus-led industrial team and installed<\/a> in the ISS Columbus module by ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen. Only a few months after installation, the device created a 2D single-layer track in the shape of an \u2018S\u2019<\/a> during calibration.<\/p>\n \tSpace metal brought down to Earth<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\tMetal made in space lands on Earth<\/a><\/p>\n Producing these simple 2D shapes prepared the demonstrator for the printing of its very first complete sample<\/a>, which has since travelled from the ISS all the way to ESTEC<\/a>, ESA\u2019s technical heart in the Netherlands.<\/p>\n Here, materials engineers are busy examining, cutting and bending the piece of space metal to understand if and how microgravity affected the printing process.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are comparing this metal part with an identically shaped one created here on Earth, using the same printer before it was shipped to the ISS,\u201d explains Caterina Iantaffi, ESA\u2019s materials engineer. \u201cWhat we are looking for are differences attributable to different gravity levels. This will also help us learn how a metal 3D printer in space should be operated.\u201d<\/p>\n Rob Postema, ESA\u2019s technical officer of the project, recounts the unboxing moment: \u201cWhen the first printed sample arrived at ESTEC and we carefully removed it from the transport container and protective packaging, it felt like we were unpacking a Christmas present. It was a wonderful and exciting experience to open the box and find a very well-printed first sample that has come all the way from the International Space Station, and to ensure it was properly handed over to ESTEC engineers for post-processing.\u201d<\/p>\n \tPrinting the future layer by layer<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\tPrinting layer by layer<\/a><\/p>\n Both metal parts were 3D-printed using Laser-Wire Directed Energy Deposition, a common and well-studied additive manufacturing technique.<\/p>\n \u201cIn this technique, a near-infrared laser serves as a localised heat source that melts a stainless-steel substrate and wire,\u201d says Caterina. \u201cBy focusing the laser on a small spot, a \u2018melt pool\u2019 of material is formed. The metal wire is continuously fed into this pool, where it melts.<\/p>\n “As the wire and laser move relative to the substrate, the molten material behind the laser beam solidifies. By following a programmed path, the process builds up the part, layer by layer, into the desired shape.\u201d<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\tRidges in the metal surface as seen under the microscope<\/a><\/p>\n \tA peek inside<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t3D-printed space metal in CT scan<\/a><\/p>\n Caterina\u2019s inspection of the first metal made in space began at a microscope \u2013 this first look through a magnifying lens allowed her to see any ridges and imperfections on the surface of the metal more clearly.<\/p>\n The next step was a CT scan, during which the metal sample rotated in a machine while being scanned using X-rays. This thorough examination resulted in a 3D digital model revealing the inside of the sample, allowing the researchers to identify the size and location of any pores (air bubbles).<\/p>\n \tStretched, bent and snapped<\/p>\n In a process called machining, the individual parts that make up the full metal sample \u2013 three larger, dog-bone-shaped ones and three smaller cylindrical ones \u2013 were separated from the base, and their ‘skin’ was removed, leaving them with a very smooth surface.<\/p>\n