Traditionally, it has taken months or even years to get equipment to astronauts up in space, depending on the launch resupply schedule. Zero-gravity 3D printing, however, may soon completely eliminate the need to send parts or equipment to spacecraft.
In November 2014, International Space Station (ISS) astronaut Barry Wilmore installed the Zero-G 3D printer in the station’s Microgravity Science Glovebox facility. The next month, he 3D-printed a ratchet wrench in four hours. A CAD file transmitted to the 3D printer (from NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, AL) served as the wrench model.