The device was installed in the microgravity “glovebox” and will be used to study the extrusion process in a weightless environment. The first items to be printed, as is the case on the ground, will be calibration “coupons” to ensure the device is operational and properly forming objects.
Once proven to work, the printer will produce a variety of test objects designed to check out various properties of micro-gravity-3D printed objects have predictable strength, flex and other engineering characteristics. These will be compared to control prints made on the ground to understand the differences between printing environments.
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