Lunar soil 3D printing: As the demand for Mars exploration becomes more urgent, there are still many problems to be solved. One of them is everything that is needed to transport humans from the earth-which is why NASA landed on the moon in the 1960s and 1970s. At present, researchers from the European Space Agency (ESA) have imitated a lunar soil (professional term "weathering layer") and printed it into small screws and gears using high-precision ceramic 3D printing technology from Lithoz, Austria Simulate the use of other planetary soils to produce the required products in situ.
According to a statement from the European Space Agency, this material can be considered a lunar ceramic. The molding process is: firstly grind it and sieve it into fine particles; and then uniformly mix these lunar soil particles with a specific photosensitive binder; 3D print it by light curing; print the finished parts It is then put into a furnace for degreasing and sintering to form a ceramic product.
Small screws, gears and other parts 3D printed with lunar soil. Image credit: European Space Agency
The potential applications of 3D printing with local materials on another planet are exciting. "Lunar soil" 3D printing can eliminate unnecessary trips to and from Earth multiple times. It can also help astronauts solve problems such as equipment damage more effectively—just have the ground command center send a design document, and then use local materials to print it.
These "lunar earth" fine ceramic parts are realized using high-precision ceramic 3D printing equipment of Austrian lithoz company. Austrian Lithoz company is the world's top supplier of ceramic 3D printing equipment and materials. The products produced by Lithoz ceramic 3D printers have surface roughness of 0.4-0.6 μm and a density of more than 99.4%. Their physical and chemical properties and traditional craft products quite. At present, more than 20 kinds of materials such as alumina, zirconia, tricalcium phosphate, silicon nitride, silicon-based materials, and cermets can be printed.
This work was implemented as part of a city project, initiated and funded by the European Space Agency. The European Space Agency has rewarded the research on "Using 3D Printing Technology to Build a Lunar Base" by a city alliance composed of the New York Mercantile Exchange, LIQUIFER Group, and SONACA Group under the leadership of OHB system AG. The team evaluated the feasibility of using 3D printing technology in the construction, operation and maintenance of the lunar base.