Made in Space ULTEM Print
A small object printed in an ULTEM material.
Made In Space has revealed it has begun using PEI/PC, a high-performance polymer, in its Additive Manufacturing Facility (AMF) on the International Space Station (ISS).
PEI/PC, or polyetherimide/ polycarbonate, is an aerospace-grade polymer that has often been used in aviation and space applications due to its ability to produce strong and heat-resistant materials. Examples of PEI/PC used in additively manufactured parts in aerospace are ULTEM 9085, which has been applied by United Launch Alliance (ULA) among others, and ULTEM 1010, which has been applied by such companies as Eviation Aircraft.
Made In Space already uses ABS (acrylonitrile butadine styrene) and Green PE (polyethylene) in the Additive Manufacturing Facility adopted by NASA’s artificial low Earth orbit satellite. PEI/PC represents the third material incorporated into its AMF processes.
“Made In Space is proud to add PEI/PC to the suite of materials it is manufacturing in space with,” said Andrew Rush, President and CEO of Made In Space. “Our team has been regularly printing parts in space with AMF for over a year now. This unparalleled knowledge base of in-space manufacturing operations will enable us to deliver future in-space manufacturing solutions in the most cost effective and efficient ways possible.”
Made in Space Archinaut Progression
Made In Space will also use PEI/PC to benefit its Archinaut Development Program.
With nearly three times the tensile strength of ABS, PEI/PC has been used in the making of satellites and external hardware, as well as in aircraft cabins, and even in medical applications. In 2015, ULA used a PEI/PC material to print a duct for the Environmental Control System of its Atlas V rocket, and just last month, Eviation Aircraft printed a composite lay-up tool in another PEI/PC material.
As well as its use aboard the International Space Station, MIS will look to enhance its Archinaut Development Program with the adoption of the new polymer. Archinaut is Made In Space’s proprietary in-space manufacturing assembly technology, able to build space-optimised portions on spacecraft and satellites. Andrew Rush talked openly with TCT earlier this year about where the company was up to with Archinaut, where he sees it being utilised in the future. The use of PEI/PC will contribute to the technology’s development, and is the next step in Made In Space’s ambitions, for Archinaut and for space manufacturing generally.
“Manufacturing in PEI/PC really expands the value of in-space manufacturing for human spaceflight,” added Rush. “PEI/PC is a truly space-capable material. With it, extravehicular activity (EVA) tools and repairs, stronger and more capable intravehicular (IVA) tools, spares, and repairs, and even satellite structure can be created on site, on-demand. That enables safer, less mass-intensive missions and scientific experiments.”
