Building a rocket? Press ???P??? for print??? [3D Printing Space Exploration 3D]

GENERAL TECHNIQUES of additive manufacturing (what we now call 3D printing) have become common knowledge in the engineering community. But to most of us it means watching a desk-sized printer slowly extruding plastic to form a model toy, key-fob or similar inconsequential item. The ???resolution??? of the device tends to be poor, leading to visible stepping in curved surfaces. Despite this impression, additive manufacturing is fast becoming an indispensable component of the modern-day industrial process, especially for niche applications such as space. In 2014, the International Space Station received its first experimental 3D printer, which immediately earned its keep by printing a spare part for itself. Later, after an astronaut mentioned he could do with a socket wrench, a design was quickly developed, transmitted to the station and produced in orbit.