The flight was part of the $870,000 NASA-funded project, “In Space Dry Printing Electronics and Semiconductor Devices”.
According to Auburn University, Masoud Mahjouri-Samani and his team have successfully tested a nanoparticle 3D printer aboard a NASA-sponsored zero-gravity flight.
The compact device, called LASED (Laser Ablation and Sintering Enable Deposition), was flown in May aboard a modified Boeing 727 near Salina, Kansas. During roughly 30 parabolic arcs — each simulating 23 to 25 seconds of microgravity — the machine printed without a hitch. “This was a one-shot win. From the very first parabola, the machine printed beautifully. That level of success on a first flight is extremely rare,” Mahjouri-Samani said.
The flight was part of the $870,000 NASA-funded project, “In Space Dry Printing Electronics and Semiconductor Devices.” The goal: to enable astronauts to print electronics on demand — including antennas, sensors, and monitors — without needing shipments from Earth. “In space, you want to print what you need, when you need it,” he explained.
The LASED system, just 24 inches per side and drawing under 500 watts, integrates nanoparticle generation, nozzle-based delivery, and sintering — all fully automated. “It’s a fully functional machine. Everything is integrated. You can program it to complete complex tasks in 20 seconds,” he said.
The machine was also engineered for space-rigors, tested to tolerate up to 18Gs. Performance exceeded expectations. “Other systems sometimes need multiple flights to even get one usable print,” he said. “Ours worked perfectly on parabola one.” With time to spare, the team printed extra samples — foundational circuit patterns — to confirm consistency and accuracy.
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