30Jul/13Off
Nasa to take first 3D-printer into space
“In zero gravity, thermal properties work differently,” says Dunn. “Convection doesn’t work the same ... There are interesting tricks we came up with to make sure we’re keeping the hot things hot and the cold things cold.”
Every moving part – the cogs, belts and gears that naturally stay in place on Earth – also had to be secured. “With a 3D printer, if something floats by a fraction of a millimetre, that can completely ruin a print,” says Dunn. “You have to make sure things are allowed to move when they need to and be very rigid when they need to be.”
See the full story here: http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/architecture-design-blog/2013/jul/30/nasa-3d-printer-space-station