By 
August 1st, 2018
Credit: NASA/Autodesk
It doesn’t make sense to haul from Earth building supplies on missions to Mars. But 3D-printing robots could help build homes on the Red Planet using dirt and recycled plastic.
NASA’s Swamp Works lab at the Kennedy Space Center is working with Autodesk in experimenting with 3D-printing habitable structures using a process called robotic extrusion, and a composite material made up of loose sediment (soil, dust, broken rock, etc.) and recycled plastic.
Free-form additive manufacturing
Based on NASA specifications, Autodesk’s Advanced Consulting team designed the barrier using tools such as Fusion 360 and PowerMill to comply with structural as well as robotic extrusion requirements while achieving significant weight reduction.
Credit: NASA/Autodesk
In a press statement, Autodesk said it also developed the software to control the industrial robot arm – fit with a specialized end effector designed by NASA – to enable free-form additive manufacturing without the need for outside support or scaffolding.
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Posted in Space News
