Author Topic: NASA Emails a Socket Wrench (Read 6020 times)

Ben · « **on:** May 08, 2015, 01:10:05 PM »

I hadn't even thought about the implications of 3D printing ability while in space. As the tech develops, this could be incredibly valuable if something critical breaks on the ISS or future orbital platforms. No spare? No problem. An Earthbound engineer sends you a file and you print the part.

http://io9.com/nasa-just-emailed-a-wrench-into-space-1673194211

SADShooter · « **Reply #1 on:** May 08, 2015, 01:13:04 PM »

Wow. Mind-blowing. A machine and materials rather than inventory. Star Trek replicator, anyone?

Perd Hapley · « **Reply #2 on:** May 08, 2015, 01:19:00 PM »

Quote from: SADShooter on May 08, 2015, 01:13:04 PM

Wow. Mind-blowing. A machine and materials rather than inventory. Star Trek replicator, anyone?

Huh. Yeah, pretty much.

AJ Dual · « **Reply #3 on:** May 08, 2015, 01:26:03 PM »

More of a PR proof-of-concept stunt at this point. Unless it's a part or device that's not subject to a lot of tensile stress.

A socket wrench printed out of PLA or ABS will obviously just twist, bend, or shear at any amount of torque greater than if you could just turn the nut or bolt by hand to begin with.

But it's a start.

Get a metal sintering printer up there, or when someone figures out how to add meaningful carbon or glass-fiber reinforcement... which they eventually will, it's going to be great stuff.

IIRC, there's already some ideas for 3D printing entire moon bases out of lunar dust/regolith, and fusing/extruding it using focused sunlight to melt it into lava first.

fifth_column · « **Reply #4 on:** May 08, 2015, 01:28:13 PM »

I'm looking forward to the day I can receive cake, as well as birthday wishes, on facebook . . . .

Ben · « **Reply #5 on:** May 08, 2015, 01:30:36 PM »

Quote from: AJ Dual on May 08, 2015, 01:26:03 PM

More of a PR proof-of-concept stunt at this point. Unless it's a part or device that's not subject to a lot of tensile stress.

Hence my "As the technology develops" caveat. :)

I'm curious if there aren't quite a few low-stress applications aboard the ISS.

KD5NRH · « **Reply #6 on:** May 08, 2015, 01:38:57 PM »

Quote from: Ben on May 08, 2015, 01:30:36 PM

I'm curious if there aren't quite a few low-stress applications aboard the ISS.

Think about how often nylon gears strip, plastic switch levers break, etc.

230RN · « **Reply #7 on:** May 08, 2015, 01:40:12 PM »

Somebody has to post this... might as well be me:

http://bigbangtheory.wikia.com/wiki/Wolowitz_Zero-Gravity_Waste_Disposal_System

The part that would have done the job was the little plastic dealie which keeps the top of a pizza box from touching the pizza. Would have been easy to email that design.

More:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBZrXuHmrtM

AJ Dual · « **Reply #8 on:** May 08, 2015, 01:41:18 PM »

Quote from: Ben on May 08, 2015, 01:30:36 PM

Hence my "As the technology develops" caveat. :)

I'm curious if there aren't quite a few low-stress applications aboard the ISS.

Yeah, in micro-g, an arm to hold a laptop, or clips to keep data wires out of the way, or some kind of rack or interface to hold an experiment locker/module. Some kind of micrograv "spork" an astronaut dreams up in-situ. It's probably endless.

I'd imagine the savings come in that raw feedstock can be shipped on low-priority launches, or stuffed into empty space as filler, leaving more room/mass for high priority items. And the existing printed items could be thrown back into a melter/extruder several times making more feedstock before the polymers begin to break down and suffer from poor quality.

Perd Hapley · « **Reply #9 on:** May 08, 2015, 01:43:14 PM »

Quote from: AJ Dual on May 08, 2015, 01:26:03 PM

IIRC, there's already some ideas for 3D printing entire moon bases out of lunar dust/regolith, and fusing/extruding it using focused sunlight to melt it into lava first.

Wow. Now that's probably the coolest idea I'll come across today.

Ben · « **Reply #10 on:** May 08, 2015, 01:45:41 PM »

Quote from: AJ Dual on May 08, 2015, 01:41:18 PM

And the existing printed items could be thrown back into a melter/extruder several times making more feedstock before the polymers begin to break down and suffer from poor quality.

I wasn't even aware that was possible. I figured after they'd been formed once, that's it as far as repeats without weakening the material. I know nothing about the plastics they're using though. Reusing the material would be awesome while living in limited space - in space. :)

230RN · « **Reply #11 on:** May 08, 2015, 01:46:19 PM »

double post

AJ Dual · « **Reply #12 on:** May 08, 2015, 01:48:45 PM »

Quote from: Ben on May 08, 2015, 01:45:41 PM

I wasn't even aware that was possible. I figured after they'd been formed once, that's it as far as repeats without weakening the material. I know nothing about the plastics they're using though. Reusing the material would be awesome while living in limited space - in space. :)

http://makezine.com/projects/guide-to-3d-printing-2014/diy-filament-extruder/

Yeah, all the DIY filament/feedstock extruders just work with chopped up LDPE from milk jugs, bottle caps etc. which by definition is something that's already been molded/extruded once.

Ben · « **Reply #13 on:** May 08, 2015, 01:49:21 PM »

Quote from: fistful on May 08, 2015, 01:43:14 PM

Wow. Now that's probably the coolest idea I'll come across today.

There's already an MIT professor (I think?) that's 3-D printing buildings. I would imagine that by the time we mount any longer-termed manned missions to Mars, the most efficient way to build bases will be some type of printer.

Brad Johnson · « **Reply #14 on:** May 08, 2015, 01:51:08 PM »

You could print with iron-based powdered metal. This would let you use induction heating to draw in something with a lower melting point (using bronze powder, maybe). It wouldn't be nearly as strong as a forged part, obviously, but would be plenty good for modest/emergency use. Have a some type of miniature milling/shaping method and you could print and produce amazingly complex parts.

Brad

AJ Dual · « **Reply #15 on:** May 08, 2015, 02:43:56 PM »

Quote from: Brad Johnson on May 08, 2015, 01:51:08 PM

You could print with iron-based powdered metal. This would let you use induction heating to draw in something with a lower melting point (using bronze powder, maybe). It wouldn't be nearly as strong as a forged part, obviously, but would be plenty good for modest/emergency use. Have a some type of miniature milling/shaping method and you could print and produce amazingly complex parts.

Brad

DMLS (Direct Metal Laser Sintering) printers are already able to produce a working 1911 type handgun. Barrel and all. Much of it was Iconel which is notoriously hard to work with.

https://blog.solidconcepts.com/industry-highlights/worlds-first-3d-printed-metal-gun/

And they've gone on to make a 10mm as well.

I think the "hard" part would be simply holding the metal powder in a smooth level layer in microgravity, but magnetism, static charges, or even air currents/suction or some combination of the three could probably solve the issue eventually.

https://www.solidconcepts.com/technologies/direct-metal-laser-sintering-dmls/

http://www.spacex.com/news/2014/07/31/spacex-launches-3d-printed-part-space-creates-printed-engine-chamber-crewed

And to be clear, SpaceX is using 3D printed metal parts with minimal finishing for high-stress high-temperature applications, not just fasteners or "logistics parts" or spacers, these are actual cryogenic fuel/fluid valves, and the actual engine chambers/bells which are directly exposed to the most heat and stress.

And when it comes to 3D printing, we're probably at a comparable tech. level to where we were with Apple ][ and IBM PC/8088 computers in the early 1980's.

KD5NRH · « **Reply #16 on:** May 08, 2015, 03:15:25 PM »

Quote from: AJ Dual on May 08, 2015, 02:43:56 PM

And when it comes to 3D printing, we're probably at a comparable tech. level to where we were with Apple ][ and IBM PC/8088 computers in the early 1980's.

Somebody shoot the bloat generators now. I remember when AutoCAD fit on a handful of floppies.

At the rate they add crap, we'll have to develop the mass data transfer capability the Star Trek transporters need just to send a completely uniform ball of elemental carbon.

Nick1911 · « **Reply #17 on:** May 08, 2015, 03:22:48 PM »

Quote from: AJ Dual on May 08, 2015, 02:43:56 PM

And when it comes to 3D printing, we're probably at a comparable tech. level to where we were with Apple ][ and IBM PC/8088 computers in the early 1980's.

Agreed. I'm excited to see where 3D printers go in the next few decades.

brimic · « **Reply #18 on:** May 08, 2015, 03:52:41 PM »

Interesting timing...
My 3rd grade daughter had a Weekly Reader assignment this week on an article about colonizng Mars., Several of the themes were oxygen generation, building human habitats, water recycling, and 3-D printing of tools and spare parts on Mars.

KD5NRH · « **Reply #19 on:** May 08, 2015, 04:21:14 PM »

Quote from: brimic on May 08, 2015, 03:52:41 PM

Interesting timing...
My 3rd grade daughter had a Weekly Reader assignment this week on an article about colonizng Mars., Several of the themes were oxygen generation, building human habitats, water recycling, and 3-D printing of tools and spare parts on Mars.

Just need a really precise 3D printer; plenty of protons, neutrons and electrons there already, so you just have to disassemble the existing atoms, store the properly sorted particles and reassemble them into oxygen atoms.

Perd Hapley · « **Reply #20 on:** May 08, 2015, 04:40:52 PM »

Quote from: brimic on May 08, 2015, 03:52:41 PM

Interesting timing...
My 3rd grade daughter had a Weekly Reader assignment this week on an article about colonizng Mars., Several of the themes were oxygen generation, building human habitats, water recycling...

Recycled Water: It's good for the environment, and OK for you.

cordex · « **Reply #21 on:** May 08, 2015, 04:46:06 PM »

Quote from: Bear Grylls

Quote from: fistful on May 08, 2015, 04:40:52 PM
Recycled Water: It's good for the environment, and OK BRILLIANT for you.
FIFY

bedlamite · « **Reply #22 on:** May 08, 2015, 05:08:08 PM »

Quote from: fifth_column on May 08, 2015, 01:28:13 PM

I'm looking forward to the day I can receive cake, as well as birthday wishes, on facebook . . . .

The cake is a lie ...

brimic · « **Reply #23 on:** May 08, 2015, 05:25:50 PM »

Quote from: fistful on May 08, 2015, 04:40:52 PM

Recycled Food~~Water~~: It's good for the environment, and OK for you.

FIFY

Brad Johnson · « **Reply #24 on:** May 08, 2015, 10:05:11 PM »

Quote from: AJ Dual on May 08, 2015, 02:43:56 PM

DMLS (Direct Metal Laser Sintering) printers are already able to produce a working 1911

How big is the equipment? I was thinking of something that could easily be packaged in a fridge-or-smaller form factor that could be transportable under current weight/size restrictions.

Brad

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Author Topic: NASA Emails a Socket Wrench (Read 6020 times)