Just In
- 2 min ago Garena Free Fire Max Redeem Codes for March 23: Get Access to the Latest Freebies in the Game
- 1 hr ago Realme 12X 5G India Launch Expected Soon; 45W Fast Charging, Dynamic Button Tipped
- 1 hr ago GTA 6 Could Miss Its 2025 Release Date, Reports Say
- 2 hrs ago Samsung Galaxy Book 4 With Intel Core Processor Launched in India; Get a Discount of Rs 5,000 on Official Site
Don't Miss
- Lifestyle Kate Middleton Receives Cancer Diagnosis: Know About Preventive Chemotherapy She Is Going Through
- Movies Experience The Magic If Holi Like Never Before: Join THE MAHA HOLI 2024 In Bangalore - DEETS
- News Nitin Gadkari Shares Modi Government's "Intention" Behind Electoral Bonds Scheme
- Sports IPL 2024 Sixes List: Who Have Hit Most Sixes in this IPL? Top Six Hitters, Longest Sixes
- Education KEAM 2024 exam date is OUT; Check the date here
- Finance Wondering How To Get A Personal Loan At The Lowest Interest Rate? Here Are Some Tips To Keep Handy!
- Automobiles New Nissan Kicks SUV To Make Its Debut At The New York Motor Show: New Features, ADAS Tech & Much More
- Travel Why 'Chita Bhasma' or 'Masan' Holi Is Celebrated at the Cremation Ghat in Varanasi Before Holi
3D Printer making Chinese space suit parts
Chinese researchers have used 3D printing technology to make a safer space suit for astronauts while spacewalking.
A research centre under the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation used a 3D printer to create the vent pipes and the flanges connecting the pipes used on the extra-vehicular space suit, Xinhua news agency reported citing China Space News.
The vent pipe and the flange as a whole can improve the reliability and safety of the space suit, and suits can be made more efficiently. Researchers will use the technique to make more parts, says the report.
Recommended: Xiaomi Mi 4i Vs Honor 4X: Which Smartphone Is Better?
The technology has been approved by the Scientific Research Training Centre for Chinese Astronauts.
China plans to launch its second orbiting space lab, Tiangong-2, in 2016, and aims to have a permanent manned space station in service around 2022.
Chinese astronauts have three kinds of space suits: inside-capsule suit, inside-capsule jacket and extra-vehicular space suit.
The inside-capsule space suit is used in case the pressure changes in the spaceship, usually during launch and landing periods.
The blue and lightweight inside-capsule jacket is used during normal flight and is more convenient for work in the spaceship or space station.
Recommended: 8 Ways 3D Printing Is Changing The World
The extra-vehicular space suit is the most complicated, providing life support system for astronauts during spacewalks.
The Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology has successfully developed a multi-laser metal 3D printer, enabling astronauts to print items with just one 3D printer in space.
Wang Lianfeng, senior engineer at the academy, says the 3D printing technology is suitable for making parts with complicated structures and odd shapes, such as the valves of rocket engines.
"It's very difficult to process the complicated parts by traditional methods," says Wang. For example, it takes two groups of workers, working shifts round-the-clock, more than two weeks to make a part of a rocket engine, but a 3D printer can do it in just 16 hours.
Wang says China is on the cutting edge of 3D printing technology.
The multi-laser metal 3D printer in the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology is like a gray-coloured cabinet.
The 3D printer used in space is similar to a regular printer in principle, but it should be smaller and lighter, and must undergo more zero gravity tests, says Wang.
There are still many difficulties to overcome in 3D printing in space. Researchers are still developing materials suitable
Source: IANS
-
1,29,999
-
22,999
-
64,999
-
99,999
-
29,999
-
39,999
-
-
63,999
-
1,56,900
-
96,949
-
1,39,900
-
1,29,900
-
79,900
-
65,900
-
12,999
-
96,949
-
16,499
-
38,999
-
30,700
-
49,999
-
19,999
-
17,970
-
21,999
-
13,474
-
18,999
-
22,999
-
19,999
-
17,999
-
26,999
-
5,999