The invention of the 3D printer has become one of the most important events of recent years. The first device for three-dimensional printing was created by Chuck hull in 1986, and after ten years, thanks to his idea, people can easily print not just the tiny parts for electronics, but also entire buildings and even food. Of course, such a useful technology is not bypassed and the space sector, NASA plans to abandon the modular design of the sensors and communication modules, and print them in a consistent format.
Today sensors, sensors and communication modules for spacecraft are made in the same way as other electronics. Every piece of equipment is created separately and then soldered to the PCB near other components. This process requires maximum precision and extremely laborious, therefore, not surprising that in the course of the proceedings raise a variety of issues.
Employees of one of the research centers of NASA are going to beg the production of space electronics with the help of 3D printing technology. As raw material they will use various nanomaterials like carbon nanotubes and graphene. All the necessary data for the component will be printed on the PCB in one process. For example, so they want to print the modules for data transmission from space to Earth.
It is expected that this method of creating electronics will not only speed up the process, but also reduce their energy consumption. Size printed electronics will exceed the size of a regular mobile phone. This means that electronics can be used not only in spacecraft, but also the suits — in particular, such sensors are used to monitor the health of astronauts.
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