Sponsor: EFRE + the State of Lower Saxony
Contact person: Lisa Windisch
Summary of the overall project:
The research project “3D4Space – Additive manufacturing processes for innovative space travel” is funded by the State of Lower Saxony and the European Union (EFRE) within the framework of an innovation network. The main research focus of the project is the development and demonstration of sustainable additive manufacturing processes for space travel as well as technology, knowledge and product transfer for terrestrial applications.
Currently, aerospace is undergoing global dynamic growth driven by new technologies and easier access to space. In the course of this development and the foreseeable end of the operational life of the International Space Station ISS, space research is increasingly concentrating on longer distant targets. To allow the permanent presence of man on the moon, technologies are needed which are able to use local resources and recycle existing material. Known as being very environmentally- and resource-friendly, additive manufacturing processes – colloquially known as “3D-Printing” – are predestined for the highly-efficient aerospace sector. It allows to directly-process components, consumables or whole habitats (Moon Villages) on-the-spot without tools or generation of waste. This so-called in-situ use of resources plays a decisive role in aerospace which is always limited by the use of available materials. Furthermore, these energy- and resource-saving technologies, materials and recycling concepts have a huge potential for countless new earthbound fields of application, for instance, in lightweight construction, electromobility or in the sectors of innovative sustainable materials and recycling of composite materials.
Goals and tasks of iPAT
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