Blog Expert Post #4
April 8, 2014
Insights directly related to CubeSat Farm:
I was able to find a 23 page newsletter from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center published last year regarding CubeSats. The articles within the newsletter gave me tremendous insight. While the CubeSat standard was originally intended for academic purposes and low earth orbit flights, NASA has been seeking to expand this functionality. There is on going research on implementing the CubeSat format for advanced space science and exploration, as well as experiments and studies that are being conducted to potentially utilize CubeSats on deep space missions. Another key insight from the newsletter is that up until now, CubeSats have launched on rockets as “Secondary Payloads”. This means that they essentially take a low-priority back seat on launches. NASA’s Walls Flight Facility is working with launch providers to come up with a launch vehicle that is not only low cost, but that specializes in CubeSat launches for government, academia as well as private industry. This is also creating an interesting partnership with the Department of the Defense who is also interested in the development of a low cost dedicated CubeSat launch platform.
Insights related to space applications of 3d printing (not project related):
One area that I’m very passionate about regarding space exploration and colonization is public outreach. The reality of this kind of work is that without public support, there is no space program. The good news is, since space is not a program, its an actual place, it usually stirs up tremendous curiosity whenever the conversation comes up. One of the defending topics that space enthusiasts bring up to defend investments in space exploration is that of “spin-offs”. Spin-offs can be defined as unintended results, that are typically commercialized or become widespread, that resulted from a particular innovation. Some examples of this regarding space exploration technologies are GPS navigation for civilian drivers, algorithms used in breast cancer detection (thanks to the John Hopkins University and the Hubble Space Telescope), miniaturized integrated circuits (the processors in laptops and smartphones), and thousands of upon thousands of other examples.
An interesting 3d printing related spin-off I found is that in the use of outreach and education. A January 10, 2014 article from Space.com (http://www.space.com/24233-3d-printed-hubble-photos-blind-aas223.html) illustrates a wonderful example of how 3d printers are being used to create textured images of celestial objects to help the blind population learn about the universe. So far the results seem positive.
Expert Blog Post #3
April 1, 2014
Here are two fantastic articles I found today.
Back in 2011, University of Southern California Professor Behrokh Khoshnevis said new technology will soon allow massive 3D printers to build entire multi-level houses in under a day.
A group of 3D printed houses, 200 m2 each, recently appears in Shanghai, China. These building were created entirely out of concrete using a gigantic 3D printer, and each costs only 30,000 RMB ($4,800).
The company behind these 3D printed building, Shanghai WinSun Decoration Design Engineering Co, said it has for years been working on developing the system and its materials. The company owns 77 national patents of construction materials, such as glass fiber reinforced gypsum and special glass fiber reinforced cement.
While Hobbyist models of 3D printers are currently available for only a few hundred dollars and lets users feed plastics and polymers into a machine, the company takes this technology to a bigger level. Using concrete, instead of plastic, WinSun wants to revolutionize the way homes and other structures are built.
WinSun’s 150(L) x 10(W) x 6.6(H) m gigantic 3D printer is capable of printing entire building within hours. The ‘ink’ it used is based on high-grade cement and glass fiber. Like traditional 3D printers, the system carefully spills out those materials layer by layer, consistently building upward.
Using computer and 3D modeling software, the designs of the building can also take into account additions like insulation materials, plumbing, electrical lining and windows, which can then be easily outfitted once the rest of the structure is solid and standing.
In addition, it is very impressive that the printing material is recycled construction waste, industrial waste and tailings. WinSun plans to build 100 recycling factories in the country, one in every 300km, to collect and transform the waste into materials for 3D printing through special handling, processing and separation technology. “There will not be any waste from the construction of new buildings.” said WinSun CEO Ma YiHe. WinSun expects 3D printing will save construction companies up to 50% on the cost.
WinSun hopes their 3D printer and technology could offer “affordable and dignified housing” for the impoverished.
Source: http://www.3ders.org/articles/20140401-10-completely-3d-printed-houses-appears-in-shanghai-built-in-a-day.html
After a slow start, 3-D printing is poised for a huge growth spurt in the next few years.
The size of the market, including 3-D printer sales, materials and associated services, reached $2.5 billion worldwide last year, according to market research firm Canalys. That figure is expected to grow to $3.8 billion this year and soar to $16.2 billion globally by 2018.
Canalys senior analyst Tim Shepherd said falling prices and advances in technology are making the printers an increasingly feasible option for enterprise and consumer uses.
PHOTOS: Comparing the HTC One (M8), iPhone 5s, Galaxy S5
“This is a market with enormous growth potential now that the main barriers to up-take are being addressed,” Shepherd said. “As it matures, there is clear and substantial potential across numerous sectors, such as engineering and architecture, aerospace and defense, and medical (particularly in the fabrication of custom prosthetics), for 3-D printing to have a dramatic impact within five years.”
When 3-D printers entered the mainstream consciousness a few years ago, they were dismissed as too expensive and impractical. Then they became thought of as novelty items that could be used at home to print trinkets such as cheap fashion jewelry or toys.
Usually about the size of a microwave, the machines “print” three-dimensional objects by melting material — typically plastic but sometimes metal and even chocolate and depositing it layer by layer based on a computer-generated design.
3-D enthusiasts have long touted the endless possibilities and say that as prices drop, the printers could one day uproot traditional manufacturing and become as ubiquitous as television sets or tablets. Soon consumers may be able to print food, clothing and jewelry from their homes.
In the U.S., the value of the 3-D printer market grew 109% in 2013 to $711 million and is forecast to grow 79% in 2014 to hit $1.3 billion. The U.S. market is expected to grow to $5.4 billion by 2018.
Shepherd said the fast-evolving market was still in its infancy. In the next few years, he said he expected to see new 3-D printing companies and use cases emerge.
“We are at the inflection point for 3-D printing. It has now moved from a new and much-hyped, but largely unproven, manufacturing process to a technology with the ability to produce real, innovative, complex and robust products,” he said. “This is a market that will look very different in five years’ time.”
But I thought you were blogging about 3d printed space stuff?!
Correct. One concern regarding the colonization of other planets is the living environment. Since there are no planets in our solar system that have a natural habitat to sustain human life, we would have to create living spaces to sustain life. 3d printing living pods would offer an efficient, and cost effective way to undertake this process. Furthermore, the better we get at automating this technology, the more autonomous it will be become. We could, theoretically, launch a set of robotic rovers with 3d printing capability and have living quarters and laboratories already in place, in let’s say Mars, before any human actually arrives. This would be tremendous!