NASA Studies Laser Beam Welding for In-Space Manufacturing - 3Dnatives

NASA has been exploring the power of additive manufacturing since the late 1990s. Initially, they were 3D printing with plastics, and in the early 2000s, they began using metal for prototypes. By the 2010s, NASA was 3D printing rocket engines. Now, they are testing the viability of using laser beam welding—a technology that can achieve additive manufacturing—in space.

NASA has done welding in space before, but not since the 1973 Skylab mission. With the demand for space manufacturing on the rise, NASA is turning to welding in space again, but this time using laser beam welding. Specifically, NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, and the Ohio State University in Columbus aim to simulate in-space manufacturing with a laser beam welding collaboration. The initiative is funded partially by Marhsall and has spanned over two years, involving students and professors from Ohio State and engineers across NASA centers.

Scientists and engineers from NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, participating in the laser beam welding study in August, stand in front of the parabolic plane used for testing. From left, Will Evans, Louise Littles, Emma Jaynes, Andrew O’Connor, and Jeffrey Sowards. Not pictured: Zachary Courtright. (Photo credits: NASA, Casey Coughlin)

Laser beam welding is a type of directed energy deposition, often used for repairs or creating parts from scratch. The process involves a laser melting material, typically metal, while it is deposited by the nozzle. For space manufacturing, laser beam welding and other allied processes can be used for repairs but could also build structures too large to fit current launch payload volumes. Welding in space could accelerate the building of large habitats in low Earth orbit, spacecraft structures for astronaut safety, and more.

According to an article published by NASA, the project between Marshall and Ohio State seeks to understand the physical processes of welding on the lunar surface. This includes investigating the effects of laser beam welding in a combined vacuum and reduced gravity environment. By understanding how laser beam welding could work in such an environment, the team hopes to increase manufacturing capabilities in space. This allows for the potential of assembling large structures or making repairs on the Moon.

Andrew O’Connor, a Marshall materials scientist, is NASA’s technical lead for the project. He’s also helping coordinate the effort between NASA and Ohio State. O’Connor explained the turn towards welding, saying, “For a long time, we’ve used fasteners, rivets, or other mechanical means to keep structures that we assemble together in space. But we’re starting to realize that if we really want strong joints and if we want structures to stay together when assembled on the lunar surface, we may need in-space welding.”

So, researchers tested welding under simulated space conditions, like temperature and heat transfer in a vacuum; the size and shape of the molten area under a laser beam; how the weld cross section looks after it solidifies and how mechanical properties change for welds performed in environmental conditions like the lunar surface. According to O’Connor, through a combination of experiments and computer modeling, the team is able to predict welding in space while still on the ground.

The research team in the zero-gravity aircraft (Photo credits: Tasha Dixon)

Ohio State’s Welding Engineering and Multidisciplinary Capstone Programs and Marshall’s Materials and Processes Laboratory performed high-powered fiber laser beam welding in August 2024, aboard a commercial aircraft simulating reduced gravity. By performing parabolic flight maneuvers, the aircraft was able to create about 20 seconds of reduced gravity. Then, team members performed laser welding experiments in a simulated environment to both low Earth orbit and lunar gravity. The team collected data by a network of sensors during the tests, and analyzing this data will help them understand the effects of space environments on the welding process and welded material.

Will McAuley, an Ohio State welding engineering student, spoke of the mission’s success. “During the flights we successfully completed 69 out of 70 welds in microgravity and lunar gravity conditions, realizing a fully successful flight campaign.”

Beyond developing the in-space economy, the researcher’s work on laser beam welding will be useful for understanding how the technology occurs on Earth, improving welding processes for manufactured goods. To learn more about Marshall’s project with Ohio State, click here.

*Cover: the team monitors laser beam welding in a vacuum chamber during a Boeing 727 parabolic flight. From left, Andrew O’Connor, Marshall materials scientist and NASA technical lead for the project; Louise Littles, Marshall materials scientist; and Aaron Brimmer, OSU graduate student. Photo Credits: Tasha Dixon

When specific or superior properties are needed in 3D printed parts, composite 3D printing is…

What happened this week in the additive manufacturing market? In this new 3DExpress we first…

3D printing has transformed manufacturing in a variety of industries, enabling everything from the production…