3D printing filaments can now be created from food waste, stone and even formed to be water-soluble—but Planetary Resources recently wowed CES 2016 attendees by showing off the first object 3D-printed from alien metal.
Planetary Resources is on a mission to prove that asteroids can be mined and their materials used as resources for Earth. To demonstrate how it plant to make this a reality, the company ventured to the Consumer Electronics Show, bringing a small 3D-printed model of a spacecraft that was created entirely from materials collected from beyond Earth. The alien metals used in the creation of this object originate from the site of a meteor crash that happened thousands of years ago near Argentina.
While this alien metal was harvested here on earth, the 3D-printed spacecraft is representative of the vehicle that Planetary Resources plans to use one day in order to collect new materials from space.
Meteoric Printing Filaments
At CES 2016, Planetary Resources Showed Off 3D-Printed Alien Metal
Trend Themes
1. 3D Printing Innovations - The ability to create 3D printing filaments from unconventional materials opens up new possibilities for industries such as manufacturing and design.
2. Asteroid Mining - The concept of mining asteroids for resources presents disruptive innovation opportunities for industries such as space exploration and mining.
3. Sustainable Resource Utilization - Using materials harvested from beyond Earth highlights the potential for sustainable resource utilization in industries like construction and materials science.
Industry Implications
1. Manufacturing - Exploring 3D printing innovations can lead to the adoption of new manufacturing processes and materials.
2. Space Exploration - The idea of asteroid mining could revolutionize the space exploration industry by providing access to valuable resources in space.
3. Construction - Incorporating sustainable resource utilization can revolutionize the construction industry by reducing reliance on traditional building materials and methods.