Additive Manufacturing Facility

Chiefly using ABS as a feedstock, the Additive Manufacturing Facility (AMF) is a gravity independent 3D plastic printer currently aboard the International Space Station (ISSInternational Space Station). The AMF produces hardware on-demand in-space for experimentation, tools, parts, education, and microgravityThe condition of perceived weightlessness created when an object is in free fall, for example when an object is in orbital motion. Microgravity alters many observable phenomena within the physical and life sciences, allowing scientists to study things in ways not possible on Earth. The International Space Station provides access to a persistent microgravity environment. research. More than 200 parts have been printed in space, so far. Some of the benefits of in-space additive manufacturing are faster delivery time, customization, lighter, more optimized parts, and limited necessary human interaction. Built to be modular and upgradeable, the AMF also has been used as a research platform to advance other in-space manufacturing techniques. An additional optional module can print with ceramic feed stock.