Significance of China's First Completion of 3D Printing in Space.

China's space industry is booming, and many projects have been successful, laying the foundation for China's space industry. Recently, China's first space 3d printing was successfully completed? So what is the meaning and function? Then let's reveal the constellation knowledge for you!

China's first space 3d printing was successfully completed, and a "3d printer" was installed on the test ship of a new generation of manned spacecraft. This is the first space 3d printing experiment in China and the first space 3d printing experiment of continuous fiber reinforced composites in the world. During the flight, the system independently completed the sample printing of continuous fiber reinforced composites, and verified the scientific experimental goal of 3d printing of composites in microgravity environment.

Look at this printer. What did it print on the boat? It is reported that this test ship is equipped with a set of "3d printing system for composite space" independently developed by China. The researchers installed this "3d printer" in the return cabin of the test ship. During the flight, the system independently completed the printing of continuous fiber reinforced composite samples, and verified the scientific experimental goal of 3d printing of composite materials in microgravity environment.

It is understood that continuous fiber reinforced composites are the main materials of spacecraft structures at home and abroad, with low density and high strength. The research on 3d printing technology of space composite materials is of great significance to the long-term on-orbit operation of space station and the on-orbit manufacturing development of super-large space structures in the future. The first goal is to support the long-term manned operation and maintenance of the space station in orbit. The second goal is to support the on-orbit expansion of our space station.

Functions and advantages of 3d printing Generally speaking, when the International Space Station lacks some tools or components, astronauts have to spend weeks or even months waiting for ground replenishment. With the help of space 3d printers, technicians set up a manufacturing program for objects on the earth, and then sent it to the International Space Station by e-mail. The whole process takes less than a week; The actual printing time is only about 4 hours. In addition to the time cost, the transportation cost saved by space 3d printing is also considerable. The system of space station, base or complex spacecraft consists of many parts. Although it is always reliable in the construction process, it still faces problems such as component damage and system upgrade. If you carry a large number of prefabricated parts into space, it will greatly increase the high launch cost. If space 3d printing technology is adopted, only raw materials and light printers need to be brought into space, and the required parts can be manufactured locally, thus minimizing the emission weight and improving work efficiency. In the future, when humans can mine raw materials from the surface of other planets, they can also set up "parts factories" in space to further reduce the launching weight of spacecraft and save space.