Scientists at the Tomsk Polytechnic University (TPU) are working on a new 3D printer they claim will enable the printing of body components for spacecraft and submarines, the TPU website announced.
According to Alexei Yakovlev, head of the TPU’s Institute of High Tech Physics, “Five different technologies have been developed to produce nanopowder and nanopowder-based materials. When integrated, the technologies will make it possible to print components containing ceramics, metals and polymers.” Yakovlev adds that the manufactured materials will therefore be “ultra-strong and ready for use.”
The TPU research team is expected to complete its multipurpose unit for the 3D printing of ultra-strong parts by late 2015, with the designing of another printer for outsized components to be completed the following year. The new system could be used in extreme conditions, for example, for printing parts at low Earth orbit at the International Space Station.
