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NASA's New Rover utilises FDM printed parts

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NASA Trusts 3D Printing in Space

When you're developing highly customized space vehicles that must sustain human life, stock parts and traditional machining simply won't fly. So NASA engineers put around 70 3D printed FDM parts on their new rover. A new video shows the rover enduring desert tests with ABS and polycarbonate parts built using FDM technology and materials.


The rover, about the size of a Hummer uses about 70 3D-printed parts made from thermoplastic materials including ABS, PC/ABS and PC using FDM technology and materials created by Stratasys, parent company to RedEye On Demand Australasia. The printed parts include flame-retardant vents, pod doors and many custom fixtures. One ear-shaped exterior housing is deep and contorted, and would be nearly impossible to build without 3D printing.

Watch the video below to see how NASA harnessed the design flexibility and durable materials of Redeye On Demand's FDM technology.

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