A research team from Auburn University has successfully tested a compact 3D printing system for manufacturing electronic components under zero-gravity conditions. The printer, called LASED (Laser Ablation and Sintering Enable Deposition), was trialed during a series of parabolic flights over Kansas. These flights, conducted aboard a modified Boeing 727 jet, provided approximately 23 seconds of microgravity per parabola.
“This was a one-shot win. From the very first parabola, the machine printed beautifully. That level of success on a first flight is extremely rare,” said Masoud Mahjouri-Samani, who made the flights with graduate student Aarsh Patel and Colton Bevel, a research engineer at the Auburn University Research and Innovation Campus in Huntsville.
“In space, you want to print what you need, when you need it,” Mahjouri-Samani said. “That could be antennas, temperature or humidity sensors, crew health monitors — even chemical sensors. We can design and build our own circuits on site.”
LASED is a fully integrated system for producing functional electronics—including circuit traces, sensors, and antennas—directly on demand. The machine measures just 60 cm on each side, requires less than 500 watts of power, and includes a nanoparticle generator, precision material feed, and a laser-based sintering unit. All processes run automatically.
“It’s a fully functional machine,” said Mahjouri-Samani, director of the Laser-Assisted Science and Engineering — Emerging Nanomaterials and Devices Laboratory. “Everything is integrated. You can program it to complete complex tasks in 20 seconds. In space, without that time constraint, it can do even more.”
“We did a lot of simulations and calculations to make sure it could survive takeoff, landing and the sharp G-force changes,” Mahjouri-Samani said. “Our machine was built to tolerate up to 18Gs — much more than the 2Gs the flight produced. So yes, we were too good.”
The flight was part of a NASA-funded project to advance the additive manufacturing of electronic components in space. The ultimate goal is to eliminate reliance on external supply chains during long-duration missions. On-demand printing aboard space stations or planetary outposts would allow critical hardware to be produced locally.
“Other systems sometimes need multiple flights to even get one usable print,” he said. “Ours worked perfectly on parabola one. Once the programmed tests were completed, we had time to print more. We built in a margin for error, but we didn’t need it. We had time left, so we printed extra.
We focused on foundational patterns this time. But the real question was: would it print in zero gravity? The answer is ‘yes.’ This printer is highly automated. You just hit ‘print’ and let it go. It was stable, consistent and precise.”
“The summary is… the machine works extremely well in zero gravity,” he said. “What we printed up there was either equal to, or in some cases better, than what we printed on Earth.”
A detailed technical comparison between the samples produced in microgravity and those made on Earth is still pending, but initial analyses indicate similar or even improved results in the orbital environment. Another test flight is planned for 2026, during which semiconductor components are expected to be fabricated. As such systems become more miniaturized and automated, they could significantly expand the infrastructure for future space-based manufacturing.
Metal Binder Jetting: The Key to Efficient Tool Manufacturing? - Exclusive Insights from INDO-MIM
Fill out the form and get instant access to an exclusive webinar on HP's Metal Binder Jetting 3D printing technology with exciting insights from INDO-MIM.Subscribe to our Newsletter
3DPresso is a weekly newsletter that links to the most exciting global stories from the 3D printing and additive manufacturing industry.
