TORONTO (miningweekly.com) – Prospective space miner Planetary Resources has showcased the first-ever direct metal print from asteroid metals on Thursday at the Consumer Electronics Show, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Developed in collaboration with its NYSE-listed partner 3D Systems, Planetary unveiled a geometric object on the Engadget stage.
The spacecraft prototype was three-dimensionally (3D) printed from an actual asteroid that was pulverised, powdered and processed on 3D Systems’ new ProX DMP 320 metals 3D printer.
Planetary stated that it was the first object ever to be 3D printed with material from outer space and was reminiscent of a design that could originate from a 3D printer in the zero-gravity environment of space.
The asteroid (or meteorite) used for the print materials was sourced from the Campo Del Cielo impact, near Argentina, and was composed of iron, nickel and cobalt – similar materials found in refinery-grade steel.