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Elton Gomes
In order to support a future base on the Moon, researchers from the European Space Agency (ESA) have experimented with 3D printing and baking of moon dust in various objects such as screws, gears and coin, with the hope that the actual moon dust may one day be used to replace coins on a lunar base. The 3D objects were printed at an Austrian company Lithoz.
"These pieces have the finest print resolution ever achieved with objects in a regolith simulator, demonstrating the high level of print accuracy and broadening the range of possible uses for such objects. "Advenit Makaya, Materials Engineer at ESA, said in a statement.
Makaya added:" If we have to print tools or machine parts to replace broken parts on a Lunar base, the precision of the dimensions and the shape of the print the elements will be vital.
ESA scientists, in partnership with Lithoz, developed a 3D printing technology that linked the origin of the artificial regolith to a special type of glue – this glue hardens when it is hard. she is exposed to light. Regolith is essentially a simulation of moon dust. The mixture of regolith and glue was then printed in 3D in a particular shape and baked inside an oven. The process was similar to the way the ceramic is cured inside an oven.
"Normally, their printing process is based on materials such as aluminum oxide, zirconium oxide or silicon nitride. What we have shown here is that it can also work with raw regolith, which is a collection of different types of oxides, mainly silicon oxide, but also of aluminum oxide, calcium oxide and iron oxide, among others, "said Makaya.
is the 3D printing?
3D printing is the process of making solid three-dimensional objects from a digital file. A 3D printed object is created using additive processes. In an additive process, successive layers of material are added gradually until the object is created. Each of these layers can be seen as a thinly sliced horizontal section of the eventual object. 3D printing can produce complex shapes using less material than traditional manufacturing methods.
Why do scientists print 3D objects with fictional moon dust?
Both private and government space agencies have expressed serious intentions to build inhabited base on the Moon, with plans being developed in this regard.
However, establishing a base on the Moon requires a lot of fuel, cargo capacity and money. Building a lunar base from scratch will require a lot of materials – this means that it would be extremely expensive to carry several pieces of the Earth to the Moon, especially since repairs would require backup parts.
That is why researchers have invented a more sustainable option. Instead of bringing objects, they could simply be made on the moon using regolith and a 3D printer. Building materials could thus be easily and cheaply created on the Moon itself.
What possibilities could open?
The project is still in its experimental phase and there is still a lot of testing to do, including whether 3D objects are powerful enough to withstand the constraints of actual use.
But if the project succeeds, the possibilities are certainly exciting. The 3D printing object using simulated moon dust could facilitate the existence on the moon. It could also make future lunar missions less dependent on the Earth.
Elton Gomes is a writer at Qrius.
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