SpaceX Dragon unmanned spacecraft approaches ISS

A contrail is seen behind the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying a Dragon supply ship as it flies into space after lifting off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on a resupply mission to the International Space Station, on September 21, 2014

SpaceX's unmanned Dragon spacecraft was nearing the International Space Station on Tuesday with a cargo of supplies, including freeze-dried meals, 20 live lab mice and a 3D printer.

Germany's Alexander Gerst, an astronaut from the European Space Agency (ESA), will operate CanadArm-2, the 57.7-foot (17.6-meter) robotic arm attached to the ISS, to capture the Dragon and bring it in to dock with the space station.

He will be assisted by NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman.

The berthing operation will be complete when the vessel latches fully onto the research outpost about two hours later.

The Dragon capsule is carrying more than 5,000 pounds (2,200 kilograms) of supplies and material for science experiments, including a tool to measure wind speed at the ocean's surface.

The spacecraft launched early Sunday from Cape Canaveral, Florida, and is SpaceX's fourth contracted mission with NASA for supply trips to the ISS and back.

The Rodent Research Hardware System, which will be installed at the International Space Station, includes three modules: the habitat at left, the transporter in the middle and the so-called animal access unit at right. 

Credit: NASA / Dominic Hart

The lab mice are the first live mammals to hitch a ride aboard a commercial cargo ship, and they are enclosed in a NASA-made research cage for studying the effects of weightlessness on their bodies.

This Zero-G Printer is the first 3D printer designed to operate in zero gravity. 

Also on board the SpaceX Dragon capsule is this 3D printer experiment.

The printer was built under a joint partnership between NASA MSFC and Made In Space.

Contracted as the “3D Printing in Zero-G Experiment” this first version of the Zero-G printer will usher in the era of off-world manufacturing.

This initial version of the Zero-G Printer will serve as a test bed for understanding the long-term effects of microgravity on 3D printing, and how it can enable the future of space exploration.

StSci Team: 3D Printed Hubble Images for Blind Astronomers

Astronomers at the Space Telescope Science Institute (StSci) are experimenting with 3D printers to deliver Hubble imagery to the vision impaired. It is also useful as a learning tool for sighted people.

Credit: Space Telescope Science Institute

Deltaprintr offers cheap easy to use 3D printer - Kickstarter

Two college students (Shai Schechter and Andrey Kovalev) have launched a Kickstarter project aimed at bringing an easy to use and affordable 3D printer to the masses—one they have designed themselves.

Called the Deltaprintr, the device is a novel pole based design that uses fishing line instead of traditional belts.

By using an open air design (and fishing line) instead of the traditional Cartesian style box, the Deltaprintr allows for quicker printing (it eliminates the need for the print-head to perform unnecessary movements) easy expansion (the ability to print taller objects)—and for more easily performing leveling calibration (it's automatic in some instances), something that can't be said for most other 3D printers being sold.

But what truly sets the Deltaprintr apart is price: one fully assembled printer costs just $675. Surprisingly, the low price doesn't mean giving up quality either—the Deltaprintr 's 4mm tip is capable of 100 micron resolution.


The printer in its default configuration allows for printing objects up to 12 inches high, but that can be increased by the owner replacing the fishing line with longer strands.

Schechter and Kovalev also promise to allow for printing taller creations in the future when they will offer longer side rails.

One drawback (though some may consider it a positive attribute) is that the printer only prints using 1.75mm PLA (as opposed to ABS plastic). The upside is that the bed doesn't get hot and create a burn hazard.

Another attribute of the Deltaprintr is its simple elegance—watching it in action is reminiscent of scenes from utopian sci-fi movies where everything works easily and smoothly and in many cases, with grace.

That perfectly describes this new type of printer with its print-head dancing in the air as it lays down layer upon layer of new material, creating, for the most part, works of art.

The design has clearly captured the imagination of online visitors to Kickstarter—the goal of $195,000 has nearly been met, and orders have already exceeded initial expectations.

What's perhaps even more promising is the prospect of even cheaper models in the future should sales grow to the point of allowing mass production.

World's First Metal Gun Printed by 3D Printer

http://blog.solidconcepts.com/industr... 

Introducing metal 3D printing to the world as a viable solution for fully functional firearm prototypes.

At http://www.solidconcepts.com you can learn more about the reliability, usability, durability and accuracy of DMLS as a functioning prototype or product, and this gun is a successful demonstration of each of those attributes.

Its chamber sees pressure above 20,000 psi every time it is fired proving the material integrity provided by DMLS technology.

The small components needed for the 1911 series gun proves DMLS can meet tolerances and accuracy.

They say "We're changing people's perspective about what 3D Printing can do and showing the technology is at a place where we can do this kind of thing and succeed. This technology is capable of fully functioning assemblies at full scale."

Over the past year, reports of guns being printed using relatively inexpensive 3D printers have raised concerns regarding a new way for people to gain access to weapons.

Such concerns have died down, however, as newer reports have pointed out the weaknesses of plastic guns—they don't last more than one or two firings. That's not the case with the gun printed by Solid Concepts—engineers there fired their weapon over 50 times, with no apparent problems.

Printing with metal instead of plastic requires a whole new level of printer—one so expensive that most could not afford to buy or even rent one, thus, news of a printed metal gun isn't like to spark much if any controversy.

It does however, as the company that printed the gun points out, highlight just how far 3D printing has come. In this case, the printer uses what is known as a direct metal laser sintering (DMLS) process—metal powder is heated to create a type of ink that can be used for printing.

In the past, the process has been used to create surgical implant and aerospace parts. The newly printed gun, created using blueprints of a real handgun formerly used by the US military, was made by printing almost all of the parts—it was finished by assembling by hand.

No machining was necessary, just some hand tooling. The process even included rifling (grooves inside the barrel that cause the bullet to spin as it's ejected) to ensure accuracy.

Fabbster 3D Printer

The fabbster works on the principle of layer construction. This literally means that it prints the components layer by layer.

The fabbster melts plastic material in the extruder and prints it through a nozzle onto a platform. After printing one layer the print head lifts and applies another layer of melted synthetic material on the just printed one.

The component is built from the bottom upwards layer by layer. While cooling down the material solidifies and connects to a complex object.



The fabbster kit
The fabbster comes in a compact box as a partially assembled construction kit.

The kit is completely mounted within only a few hours; simple and easy through a step-by-step assembly guide, as well as videos of the various construction sequences.

All tools required for the assembly are included in the fabbster kit.