Last fall, NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center concluded a project that investigated a 3D-printing (or additive manufacturing) technique that could build lunar infrastructure from aluminum potentially extracted from dust and rocks on the Moon.
A new project aims to develop the use of Cold Metal Transfer (CMT) & Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) with aluminum alloys for lunar infrastructure. Aluminum's importance in lunar regolith (the layer of unconsolidated solid material covering the bedrock of a planet) and industrial applications makes it a key material for building on the moon.
The year-long project focused on developing stable processes, complex geometries, and evaluating vacuum welding environments. Unlike powder-based methods, CMT-WAAM is safer and doesn't require special containment, making it a valuable technology for lunar manufacturing.
This initiative focuses on developing stable processes, complex geometries, and vacuum-based manufacturing, which are crucial for scaling up the technology. The project directly addresses NASA's identified gaps in large-scale additive manufacturing, on-orbit repair, and lunar surface fabrication.
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