BEEVERYCREATIVE - IMPERIAL

Summary

Following the success achieved by the MELT project, BEEVERYCREATIVE was invited to integrate a new consortium to develop and manufacture an ALM printer able to use engineering polymers, to produce large parts and overcome the build volume constraints.

The developed printer shall be compatible with the International Space Station (ISS).

Technical requirements

Print with high performance polymers with mechanical and thermal properties like PEEK
Print under microgravity condition with quality comparable to printing under nominal conditions.
Print large parts and at least print parts with unlimited size in one direction
Peak power consumption should be limited
The functional parts shall be ready-to-use directly after the removal from the 3D printer, as post-processing would imply the presence of additional dedicated facilities
Waste production needs to be minimized or better if recycled or reused in the process flow.

ISS interface requirements

Environmental requirements

Considering the end-to-end mission scenario from the launch, on-board operations, disposal and waste treatment. The size of the printer shall fit the available upload configurations and corresponding loads.

Interface requirements

The selection of the suitable technologies will depend on the available resources on board.

Operations and Safety

The International Space Station (ISS) is a platform requiring continuous human occupancy on long duration spaceflight missions. Several regulations have been established ensuring overall health and safety of the crew.

Press releases

ESA In the Spotlight - 3D printing, as long as you like - Mar12, 2021

Imperial

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Development of a 3D printer for the Internation Space Station able to print parts with an unlimited size in one axis.