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Over the last several years, manufacturing has gone from more manual processes (traditional) to digitally automated processes, such as 3D printing and additive processes (advanced). In order to take advantage of these changes to advance certain elements of NASA’s mission, the Ames Center Chief Technologist (CCT) Office has established the “Advanced Digital Materials and Manufacturing for Space (ADMMS) Initiative. ADMMS will focus on advanced manufacturing technologies for space, including identifying several target products areas and applications, approaches mechanisms, and facilities, of initial interest. The anchor element of the ADMMS will be the ARC “SpaceShop”, based around the FabLab concept, developed by the MIT Center for Bits and Atoms (CBA). As described by CBA, “…Fab labs provide widespread access to modern means for invention. They began as an outreach project from MIT's Center for Bits and Atoms (CBA). CBA assembled millions of dollars in machines for research in digital fabrication, ultimately aiming at developing programmable molecular assemblers that will be able to make almost anything...”
The initial ADMMS objective is to apply these FabLab-based advanced manufacturing technologies to some of our specific ARC technology and product interests, including small spacecraft structures and components, biological technologies and in particular synthetic biology, small science instruments and spaceflight hardware and components, and in-situ repurposing of space products and materials. In the future, this will be expanded to development of other products, technology disciplines, and application areas.
The intent of ADMMS is fivefold:
Expected Outcomes and Benefits
References:
http://fab.cba.mit.edu/about/faq/
http://www.techshop.ws/