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This February, the first-ever metal part 3D-printed in space landed on Earth. Produced in the European Space Agency\u2019s Metal 3D Printer Technology Demonstrator on the International Space Station (ISS), it is now in the hands of ESA\u2019s engineers at ESTEC, the agency\u2019s technical centre in the Netherlands, who poke and prod it to understand how microgravity affected its printing process.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are comparing this metal part with an identically shaped one created here on Earth, using the same printer before it was shipped to the ISS,\u201d explains Caterina Iantaffi, ESA\u2019s materials engineer. \u201cWhat we are looking for are differences attributable to different gravity levels.\u201d<\/p>\n
Caterina\u2019s inspection of the first metal made in space began at a microscope \u2013 this first look through a magnifying lens allowed her to see any ridges and imperfections on the surface of the metal more clearly.<\/p>\n
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[Image description: This is a photograph of a laboratory workspace. In the foreground on the left side, there is a circular metallic base about the size of a human hand, holding six thin metallic cylinders, three bigger and three smaller ones, produced by metal 3D printing. On the right hand side, a person wearing blue gloves and a blue lab coat is inspecting this set up from up close \u2013 we can only see their face from the side, and their right hand handling the metal object. Above the object, a ring light provides focused lighting. In the background, computer monitors, and other lab equipment are visible.]<\/i><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n