What materials can be produced from 3D printing for space exploration? This is what a recent study published in Additive Manufacturing hopes to address as an international team of researchers led by the Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS) successfully produced a durable 3D-printed metal alloy that could potentially be used for space exploration. This study holds the potential to enhance space exploration technologies, specifically with both government agencies and private companies making strides in advancing space exploration to the Moon and Mars.
For the study, the researchers combined CoCrFeMnNi alloy, which is a well-known high-entropy alloy (HEA) and survives well under extremely cold conditions, with a small amount of carbon and then manufactured using 3D printing technology. The reason carbon was added to the alloy was to enhance the alloy’s tensile strength and ductility (ability to resist deformation), resulting in a 140 percent increase in both properties. Additionally, the researchers found the new alloy exhibited double the elongation at temperatures as low as 77 Kelvin (-321 degrees Fahrenheit) compared to standard temperatures of 298 Kelvin (76 degrees Fahrenheit).
Collage of images depicting the study involving a new 3D-printed alloy. (Credit: Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS))
“This research presents a significant breakthrough in developing new alloys for extreme environments, offering new possibilities,” said Dr. Jeong Min Park, who is a senior researcher at KIMS and a co-author on the study. “Through 3D printing technology that surpasses the manufacturing limits of conventional space exploration components, we can significantly improve the performance of parts used in space launch vehicles.”
This study comes as numerous government agencies and private companies are contributing to long-term human space exploration, ranging from low-Earth orbit to the Moon and Mars, and includes orbital and surface habitats that this new alloy could prove beneficial for a sustainable human presence in space.
What new discoveries about 3D-printed technology for space exploration will researchers make in the coming years and decades? Only time will tell, and this is why we science!
As always, keep doing science & keep looking up!
Sources: Additive Manufacturing, EurekAlert!
