How does this Martian habitat 3D printer built for NASA work?3D printers for ceramic clay?Is it possible to 3D print a front bumper grille for a Honda Accord CL7?Printer/Material/Setup recommendation for printing mechanical partsIs possible print this level of detail?What printer should I consider for printing microfluidic channels?Is hot glue suitable for FDM printing?How does one use a heat tower?Does GEL-LAY needs to stay moist?Stepper motor for CR10-S5 Y-axisWhat is the reinforcement for 3D printing concrete cement?

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How does this Martian habitat 3D printer built for NASA work?


3D printers for ceramic clay?Is it possible to 3D print a front bumper grille for a Honda Accord CL7?Printer/Material/Setup recommendation for printing mechanical partsIs possible print this level of detail?What printer should I consider for printing microfluidic channels?Is hot glue suitable for FDM printing?How does one use a heat tower?Does GEL-LAY needs to stay moist?Stepper motor for CR10-S5 Y-axisWhat is the reinforcement for 3D printing concrete cement?













7












$begingroup$


The ArchDaily article AI SpaceFactory Wins NASA's 3D-Printed Mars Habitat Challenge shows a working 3D printing apparatus using an unusual material containing




basalt fiber extracted from Marian rock (simulant) and renewable plant-based bioplastic.




The photo below shows part of the printer. Is this printer just leaving a slurry to dry, or does the mixture somehow catalyze or harden spontaneously? I'm also wondering what the (looks like) twelve black hoses are around the central nozzle.



AI SpaceFactory NASA Centennial Challenge



AI SpaceFactory NASA Centennial Challenge



AI SpaceFactory NASA Centennial Challenge










share|improve this question









New contributor



uhoh is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.






$endgroup$
















    7












    $begingroup$


    The ArchDaily article AI SpaceFactory Wins NASA's 3D-Printed Mars Habitat Challenge shows a working 3D printing apparatus using an unusual material containing




    basalt fiber extracted from Marian rock (simulant) and renewable plant-based bioplastic.




    The photo below shows part of the printer. Is this printer just leaving a slurry to dry, or does the mixture somehow catalyze or harden spontaneously? I'm also wondering what the (looks like) twelve black hoses are around the central nozzle.



    AI SpaceFactory NASA Centennial Challenge



    AI SpaceFactory NASA Centennial Challenge



    AI SpaceFactory NASA Centennial Challenge










    share|improve this question









    New contributor



    uhoh is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
    Check out our Code of Conduct.






    $endgroup$














      7












      7








      7





      $begingroup$


      The ArchDaily article AI SpaceFactory Wins NASA's 3D-Printed Mars Habitat Challenge shows a working 3D printing apparatus using an unusual material containing




      basalt fiber extracted from Marian rock (simulant) and renewable plant-based bioplastic.




      The photo below shows part of the printer. Is this printer just leaving a slurry to dry, or does the mixture somehow catalyze or harden spontaneously? I'm also wondering what the (looks like) twelve black hoses are around the central nozzle.



      AI SpaceFactory NASA Centennial Challenge



      AI SpaceFactory NASA Centennial Challenge



      AI SpaceFactory NASA Centennial Challenge










      share|improve this question









      New contributor



      uhoh is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
      Check out our Code of Conduct.






      $endgroup$




      The ArchDaily article AI SpaceFactory Wins NASA's 3D-Printed Mars Habitat Challenge shows a working 3D printing apparatus using an unusual material containing




      basalt fiber extracted from Marian rock (simulant) and renewable plant-based bioplastic.




      The photo below shows part of the printer. Is this printer just leaving a slurry to dry, or does the mixture somehow catalyze or harden spontaneously? I'm also wondering what the (looks like) twelve black hoses are around the central nozzle.



      AI SpaceFactory NASA Centennial Challenge



      AI SpaceFactory NASA Centennial Challenge



      AI SpaceFactory NASA Centennial Challenge







      print-material part-identification nasa autodesk






      share|improve this question









      New contributor



      uhoh is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
      Check out our Code of Conduct.










      share|improve this question









      New contributor



      uhoh is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
      Check out our Code of Conduct.








      share|improve this question




      share|improve this question








      edited 4 hours ago









      Trish

      7,08121346




      7,08121346






      New contributor



      uhoh is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
      Check out our Code of Conduct.








      asked 8 hours ago









      uhohuhoh

      1364




      1364




      New contributor



      uhoh is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
      Check out our Code of Conduct.




      New contributor




      uhoh is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
      Check out our Code of Conduct.






















          1 Answer
          1






          active

          oldest

          votes


















          6












          $begingroup$

          Let's start with the general design look and feel: This printer contains a robotic arm with a toolhead, pretty similar to a welding robot, and probably is controlled with a similar CAM software.



          a welding robot Picture by Robotics.org



          Tool head



          The really interesting part here is the tool head. So let's look at it and try to reverse engineer the use of some parts by how they are placed and what one can see about them, together with the information given by OP.



          Black pipes



          There's a bundle of 12 black pipes that go from the main body to the print head, ending at the side of some distance disk. To me, these look suspiciously like a system to deliver an airstream, so most likely some sort of cooling system. This is further supported by the huge fans at the base of the machine, pumping air into the flexible pipe.



          Silver Tank



          The first picture shows a silver tank with the label V7 on it. This is connected to a grey hose. The mounting of it over the extruder hints, that this is a hopper, most likely holding the print material in pelletized form. From the information given in the question, it might be some sort of PLA (synthesized from cornstarch) or other bioplastic using the Martian dust as a filler material. From here, the print material falls into the central column...



          Central Column



          ...which goes down through the distance disk into the thick nozzle, so it must be the extruder and heater combo. At its top, there is a large stepper motor in Z orientation, which hints that inside of the matte grey tube is an arbor, pressing down the melting pellets past a heating element into the nozzle below.



          Print material and further information



          The last picture shows proudly "Autodesk" on the side of the printer. Autodesk has an own article about printing in space from August 2018, where Nathan Golino of the NASA owned GMRO states this:




          Abrasion has been an issue with the 3D printer we use. It’s very rough on the feed screw and the barrel and nozzle as the material is extruded through the system.




          This confirms the general makeup akin to a pellet-style extruder.




          Combining a small amount of waste plastic with crushed rock known as regolith can form an additive construction material that’s stronger than concrete. (on a picture caption)



          The material we’ve been using in our additive-construction experiments is regolith mixed with waste polymers. You can get polymers in the form of astronaut trash and shipping containers, or you can synthesize polymers. You can use that as a binder for regolith, with a relatively low ratio of polymer to regolith, to make a construction material pretty similar to Portland cement in compression and 20 times stronger in tensile strength.




          As an interesting extra tidbit: Golino also states, that the mars-printers are at the moment on level 2 to 3, where 0 is "general concept" and 9 "ready to fly", so in early development.



          Further reading into the background of the project - a design competition in 2015 - hinted, that the software for the arm might even be Autodesk PowerMill.






          share|improve this answer











          $endgroup$












          • $begingroup$
            Wow, thank you for investigating and putting together such a thorough and interesting answer!
            $endgroup$
            – uhoh
            1 hour ago











          Your Answer








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          1 Answer
          1






          active

          oldest

          votes








          1 Answer
          1






          active

          oldest

          votes









          active

          oldest

          votes






          active

          oldest

          votes









          6












          $begingroup$

          Let's start with the general design look and feel: This printer contains a robotic arm with a toolhead, pretty similar to a welding robot, and probably is controlled with a similar CAM software.



          a welding robot Picture by Robotics.org



          Tool head



          The really interesting part here is the tool head. So let's look at it and try to reverse engineer the use of some parts by how they are placed and what one can see about them, together with the information given by OP.



          Black pipes



          There's a bundle of 12 black pipes that go from the main body to the print head, ending at the side of some distance disk. To me, these look suspiciously like a system to deliver an airstream, so most likely some sort of cooling system. This is further supported by the huge fans at the base of the machine, pumping air into the flexible pipe.



          Silver Tank



          The first picture shows a silver tank with the label V7 on it. This is connected to a grey hose. The mounting of it over the extruder hints, that this is a hopper, most likely holding the print material in pelletized form. From the information given in the question, it might be some sort of PLA (synthesized from cornstarch) or other bioplastic using the Martian dust as a filler material. From here, the print material falls into the central column...



          Central Column



          ...which goes down through the distance disk into the thick nozzle, so it must be the extruder and heater combo. At its top, there is a large stepper motor in Z orientation, which hints that inside of the matte grey tube is an arbor, pressing down the melting pellets past a heating element into the nozzle below.



          Print material and further information



          The last picture shows proudly "Autodesk" on the side of the printer. Autodesk has an own article about printing in space from August 2018, where Nathan Golino of the NASA owned GMRO states this:




          Abrasion has been an issue with the 3D printer we use. It’s very rough on the feed screw and the barrel and nozzle as the material is extruded through the system.




          This confirms the general makeup akin to a pellet-style extruder.




          Combining a small amount of waste plastic with crushed rock known as regolith can form an additive construction material that’s stronger than concrete. (on a picture caption)



          The material we’ve been using in our additive-construction experiments is regolith mixed with waste polymers. You can get polymers in the form of astronaut trash and shipping containers, or you can synthesize polymers. You can use that as a binder for regolith, with a relatively low ratio of polymer to regolith, to make a construction material pretty similar to Portland cement in compression and 20 times stronger in tensile strength.




          As an interesting extra tidbit: Golino also states, that the mars-printers are at the moment on level 2 to 3, where 0 is "general concept" and 9 "ready to fly", so in early development.



          Further reading into the background of the project - a design competition in 2015 - hinted, that the software for the arm might even be Autodesk PowerMill.






          share|improve this answer











          $endgroup$












          • $begingroup$
            Wow, thank you for investigating and putting together such a thorough and interesting answer!
            $endgroup$
            – uhoh
            1 hour ago















          6












          $begingroup$

          Let's start with the general design look and feel: This printer contains a robotic arm with a toolhead, pretty similar to a welding robot, and probably is controlled with a similar CAM software.



          a welding robot Picture by Robotics.org



          Tool head



          The really interesting part here is the tool head. So let's look at it and try to reverse engineer the use of some parts by how they are placed and what one can see about them, together with the information given by OP.



          Black pipes



          There's a bundle of 12 black pipes that go from the main body to the print head, ending at the side of some distance disk. To me, these look suspiciously like a system to deliver an airstream, so most likely some sort of cooling system. This is further supported by the huge fans at the base of the machine, pumping air into the flexible pipe.



          Silver Tank



          The first picture shows a silver tank with the label V7 on it. This is connected to a grey hose. The mounting of it over the extruder hints, that this is a hopper, most likely holding the print material in pelletized form. From the information given in the question, it might be some sort of PLA (synthesized from cornstarch) or other bioplastic using the Martian dust as a filler material. From here, the print material falls into the central column...



          Central Column



          ...which goes down through the distance disk into the thick nozzle, so it must be the extruder and heater combo. At its top, there is a large stepper motor in Z orientation, which hints that inside of the matte grey tube is an arbor, pressing down the melting pellets past a heating element into the nozzle below.



          Print material and further information



          The last picture shows proudly "Autodesk" on the side of the printer. Autodesk has an own article about printing in space from August 2018, where Nathan Golino of the NASA owned GMRO states this:




          Abrasion has been an issue with the 3D printer we use. It’s very rough on the feed screw and the barrel and nozzle as the material is extruded through the system.




          This confirms the general makeup akin to a pellet-style extruder.




          Combining a small amount of waste plastic with crushed rock known as regolith can form an additive construction material that’s stronger than concrete. (on a picture caption)



          The material we’ve been using in our additive-construction experiments is regolith mixed with waste polymers. You can get polymers in the form of astronaut trash and shipping containers, or you can synthesize polymers. You can use that as a binder for regolith, with a relatively low ratio of polymer to regolith, to make a construction material pretty similar to Portland cement in compression and 20 times stronger in tensile strength.




          As an interesting extra tidbit: Golino also states, that the mars-printers are at the moment on level 2 to 3, where 0 is "general concept" and 9 "ready to fly", so in early development.



          Further reading into the background of the project - a design competition in 2015 - hinted, that the software for the arm might even be Autodesk PowerMill.






          share|improve this answer











          $endgroup$












          • $begingroup$
            Wow, thank you for investigating and putting together such a thorough and interesting answer!
            $endgroup$
            – uhoh
            1 hour ago













          6












          6








          6





          $begingroup$

          Let's start with the general design look and feel: This printer contains a robotic arm with a toolhead, pretty similar to a welding robot, and probably is controlled with a similar CAM software.



          a welding robot Picture by Robotics.org



          Tool head



          The really interesting part here is the tool head. So let's look at it and try to reverse engineer the use of some parts by how they are placed and what one can see about them, together with the information given by OP.



          Black pipes



          There's a bundle of 12 black pipes that go from the main body to the print head, ending at the side of some distance disk. To me, these look suspiciously like a system to deliver an airstream, so most likely some sort of cooling system. This is further supported by the huge fans at the base of the machine, pumping air into the flexible pipe.



          Silver Tank



          The first picture shows a silver tank with the label V7 on it. This is connected to a grey hose. The mounting of it over the extruder hints, that this is a hopper, most likely holding the print material in pelletized form. From the information given in the question, it might be some sort of PLA (synthesized from cornstarch) or other bioplastic using the Martian dust as a filler material. From here, the print material falls into the central column...



          Central Column



          ...which goes down through the distance disk into the thick nozzle, so it must be the extruder and heater combo. At its top, there is a large stepper motor in Z orientation, which hints that inside of the matte grey tube is an arbor, pressing down the melting pellets past a heating element into the nozzle below.



          Print material and further information



          The last picture shows proudly "Autodesk" on the side of the printer. Autodesk has an own article about printing in space from August 2018, where Nathan Golino of the NASA owned GMRO states this:




          Abrasion has been an issue with the 3D printer we use. It’s very rough on the feed screw and the barrel and nozzle as the material is extruded through the system.




          This confirms the general makeup akin to a pellet-style extruder.




          Combining a small amount of waste plastic with crushed rock known as regolith can form an additive construction material that’s stronger than concrete. (on a picture caption)



          The material we’ve been using in our additive-construction experiments is regolith mixed with waste polymers. You can get polymers in the form of astronaut trash and shipping containers, or you can synthesize polymers. You can use that as a binder for regolith, with a relatively low ratio of polymer to regolith, to make a construction material pretty similar to Portland cement in compression and 20 times stronger in tensile strength.




          As an interesting extra tidbit: Golino also states, that the mars-printers are at the moment on level 2 to 3, where 0 is "general concept" and 9 "ready to fly", so in early development.



          Further reading into the background of the project - a design competition in 2015 - hinted, that the software for the arm might even be Autodesk PowerMill.






          share|improve this answer











          $endgroup$



          Let's start with the general design look and feel: This printer contains a robotic arm with a toolhead, pretty similar to a welding robot, and probably is controlled with a similar CAM software.



          a welding robot Picture by Robotics.org



          Tool head



          The really interesting part here is the tool head. So let's look at it and try to reverse engineer the use of some parts by how they are placed and what one can see about them, together with the information given by OP.



          Black pipes



          There's a bundle of 12 black pipes that go from the main body to the print head, ending at the side of some distance disk. To me, these look suspiciously like a system to deliver an airstream, so most likely some sort of cooling system. This is further supported by the huge fans at the base of the machine, pumping air into the flexible pipe.



          Silver Tank



          The first picture shows a silver tank with the label V7 on it. This is connected to a grey hose. The mounting of it over the extruder hints, that this is a hopper, most likely holding the print material in pelletized form. From the information given in the question, it might be some sort of PLA (synthesized from cornstarch) or other bioplastic using the Martian dust as a filler material. From here, the print material falls into the central column...



          Central Column



          ...which goes down through the distance disk into the thick nozzle, so it must be the extruder and heater combo. At its top, there is a large stepper motor in Z orientation, which hints that inside of the matte grey tube is an arbor, pressing down the melting pellets past a heating element into the nozzle below.



          Print material and further information



          The last picture shows proudly "Autodesk" on the side of the printer. Autodesk has an own article about printing in space from August 2018, where Nathan Golino of the NASA owned GMRO states this:




          Abrasion has been an issue with the 3D printer we use. It’s very rough on the feed screw and the barrel and nozzle as the material is extruded through the system.




          This confirms the general makeup akin to a pellet-style extruder.




          Combining a small amount of waste plastic with crushed rock known as regolith can form an additive construction material that’s stronger than concrete. (on a picture caption)



          The material we’ve been using in our additive-construction experiments is regolith mixed with waste polymers. You can get polymers in the form of astronaut trash and shipping containers, or you can synthesize polymers. You can use that as a binder for regolith, with a relatively low ratio of polymer to regolith, to make a construction material pretty similar to Portland cement in compression and 20 times stronger in tensile strength.




          As an interesting extra tidbit: Golino also states, that the mars-printers are at the moment on level 2 to 3, where 0 is "general concept" and 9 "ready to fly", so in early development.



          Further reading into the background of the project - a design competition in 2015 - hinted, that the software for the arm might even be Autodesk PowerMill.







          share|improve this answer














          share|improve this answer



          share|improve this answer








          edited 4 hours ago

























          answered 4 hours ago









          TrishTrish

          7,08121346




          7,08121346











          • $begingroup$
            Wow, thank you for investigating and putting together such a thorough and interesting answer!
            $endgroup$
            – uhoh
            1 hour ago
















          • $begingroup$
            Wow, thank you for investigating and putting together such a thorough and interesting answer!
            $endgroup$
            – uhoh
            1 hour ago















          $begingroup$
          Wow, thank you for investigating and putting together such a thorough and interesting answer!
          $endgroup$
          – uhoh
          1 hour ago




          $begingroup$
          Wow, thank you for investigating and putting together such a thorough and interesting answer!
          $endgroup$
          – uhoh
          1 hour ago










          uhoh is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.









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          uhoh is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.












          uhoh is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.











          uhoh is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.














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