3D printing heads from Bellevue to outer space

Bellevue hosted the 3D Printer World Expo this weekend, offering a glimpse into the future of manufacturing.

Some of the 3D printed objects on display included sculptures, soccer balls, vases, and personalized action figures.

But one company has taken the idea of 3D printing where it has never gone before. Made In Space has partnered with NASA to develop a printer that prints on Earth as well as in space.

“We’re launching our first printer to space in about a month and it will be the first time we ever manufacture something off this Earth,” explained Hasti Afsarifard, a business development associate with Made In Space.

Afsarifard said her company has developed the first 3D printer that enables the building of items while a mission is already in orbit.

The printer will have several uses said Afsarifard. “The most immediate application, obviously, is spare parts and tools on the space station.”

She said that NASA currently spends billions of dollars planning for ‘what if’ scenarios in order to have the needed spare parts on any given mission. But when an unanticipated issue arises, astronauts have to jury-rig a solution from random items aboard the space station.

At the Made in Space display table, Afsarifard showed examples of 3D printed parts from previous Apollo missions that broke during flight. With the printer, these parts could have been easily replaced.

NASA has already deemed the printer “flight ready.”