Made In Space is a space-based manufacturing company founded in 2010, which started by making 3D printers usable in microgravity.
Created: 2018-11-01
Updated: 2022-02-20
Company - Made In Space (Redwire)
Service - Archinaut
- Classification
- In-Space Manufacturing
- Category
- In-Space Manufacturing
In-Space Assembly
- Fields
- ZBLAN
Large Space Structures
Additive Manufacturing (3D printing)
Orbital Microfabrication
- Status
- 2) Demonstrated
- First launch
- 2018
In parallel they privately funded the development of expertise and technology to produce fibre in space. Their first fibre machine visible on Figure 5 was launched to the ISS in 2017 to test the system and draw some fiber. Same unit was returned to Earth and sent back to ISS again in 2018. More fiber was drawn in April 2018 and the unit was returned to Earth in the summer of 2018. The results are proprietary, but in August 2018 they raised their first outside funding round when before they primarily sustained themselves through government grants.
[The Turbine Ceramic Manufacturing Module (CMM)](http://The Turbine Ceramic Manufacturing Module (CMM)) is a commercial in-space manufacturing device designed to demonstrate proof-of-principle single-piece ceramic turbine blisk manufacturing in microgravity for terrestrial use.
Manufacturing turbine components in microgravity could produce parts with better performance including higher strength and lower residual stress, due to a reduction in defects caused by gravity, such as sedimentation and composition gradients. This technology demonstrates potential use of the space station for unique manufacturing capabilities which could increase commercial utilization of ISS.
CMM also represents the addition of an entirely new 3D printing technology on the ISS. This facility will be the first stereolithography (SLA) printer to operate on orbit. This 3D printing method employs UV-curable resin and a UV laser to form 3D printed objects. SLA printing is ideal for manufacturing high-accuracy parts with complex geometries. MIS pioneered manufacturing capabilities in space with its first- and second-generation 3D printers, with on-orbit operations dating back to 2014.
- Developing a Glass Alloy Manufacturing Machine (GAMMA), an experimental system designed to investigate how glass alloys form without the effects of gravity-induced flaws. The microgravity environment of space is expected to enable much higher quality glass products by eliminating the Earth-based impacts of convection, sedimentation, and solute buildup, which lead to nucleation, or crystal-forming sites in the materials. This system could improve processes for commercial product development. Product applications include optical fiber, lenses, and optical devices across several market segments including telecommunications, sensors and laser technology industries.
- Developing an autonomous, high throughput manufacturing capability for production of high quality, lower cost semiconductor chips at a rapid rate. Terrestrial semiconductor chip production suffers from the impacts of convection and sedimentation in the manufacturing process. Fabricating in microgravity is expected to reduce the number of gravity-induced defects, resulting in more usable chips per wafer. Market applications include semiconductor supply chains for telecommunications and energy industries.
- Launched its sixth manufacturing facility to the International Space Station (ISS) on Northrop Grumman’s 15th commercial resupply mission (NG-15). On Earth, certain KDP crystals are used in high-power, large laser systems. These crystals are often subject to laser-induced damage which limits the output of the system. This damage is often caused by impurities created during the crystal growth process. ICF will employ specific crystal growth techniques in microgravity that could minimize these gravity-induced defects and yield improved crystals for these types of applications. While organic molecular crystal growth has been studied on the International Space Station for many years, ICF is explicitly focused on growing inorganic crystals for industrial applications.
- ICF is a commercial in-space manufacturing device designed to provide proof-of-principle for diffusion-based crystallization methods to produce high-quality optical crystals in microgravity relevant for terrestrial use, specifically laser optics products. The ICF’s in-orbit operations could provide a valuable understanding of the diffusion process in microgravity and will open access channels to those within the materials and in-space production research communities. In-space production applications and advanced materials are areas of focus for the ISS National Lab and the nation, and space-based research and development within these fields may yield results that bring value back to our nation and drive a robust and sustainable market in low Earth orbit.
Turbine Superalloy Casting Module - Redwire will be launching the Turbine Superalloy Casting Module (TSCM), a commercial in-space manufacturing device designed to provide proof-of-principle for polycrystalline superalloy part manufacturing in microgravity for terrestrial use. Applications for this technology include turbine engines in industries such as aerospace and power generation. TSCM was developed in partnership with NASA’s ISS Research Integration Office at Johnson Space Center.
MVP-PLANT-01 - MVP-PLANT-01 is an investigation launching on SpaceX-24 that will use Redwire’s Multi-Use Variable-Gravity Platform (MVP) to profile and monitor shoot and root development of plants in microgravity to understand the regulatory mechanisms involved in plant responses to a novel environment. MVP-PLANT-01 can contribute designing plants to withstand extreme terrestrial environments and long-duration spaceflight. The investigation will also validate Redwire MVP Phytofuge experiment modules for future plant investigations on the ISS. The Phytofuge module is one of several different experiment modules developed for use in conjunction with the MVP facility. The modules were developed by Redwire engineers to enable early-stage seedling plant growth in a variable gravity environment.
Veggie PONDS-03R - Also launching on SpaceX-24 is Veggie PONDS-03R, a technology demonstration that explores how plants respond to microgravity and demonstrates technology for reliable vegetable production on orbit. This flight will also validate the Passive Orbital Nutrient Delivery System (PONDS) hardware, which was originally developed by Tupperware Brands and validated by recently acquired Techshot. The PONDS hardware is designed for flight inside NASA’s Vegetable Production System (Veggie) facility. PONDS can grow a wide variety of plants in space and requires far less monitoring and maintenance time from flight crews than other passive plant growth devices.
Unlocking the Cotton Genome to Precision Genetics - Also as part of the SpaceX-24 mission, Redwire is working with researchers from Clemson University to support the Unlocking the Cotton Genome to Precision Genetics (Plant Habitat-05) investigation, which will utilize the Advanced Plant Habitat (APH), an automated plant growth facility managed by Redwire that is used to conduct bioscience research aboard ISS. The investigation will cultivate several cotton genotypes from cotton plant tissue cultures exposed to spaceflight. This project is sponsored by the ISS National Lab and stems from a previous Cotton Sustainability Challenge. The knowledge gained from the investigation could enable the growth of cotton plants that more efficiently use water and adapt to changing environments.
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