# Meteoric Printing Filaments At CES 2016, Planetary Resources Showed Off 3D-Printed Alien Metal By Laura McQuarrie | Published 2016-01-08 | Tech Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/alien-metal References: [digitaltrends](http://www.digitaltrends.com/ces/planetary-resources-alien-metal-3d-printed-object/) & [planetaryresources](http://www.planetaryresources.com/) [3D printing filaments](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/pla-filament-bundles) can now be created from food waste, stone and even formed to be water-soluble—but [Planetary Resources](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/konica-minolta-planetary) 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](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/martian-aerogel-jacket) 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. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 1.7/10 - Popularity: 21% | Activity: 21% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 70% men, 30% women - Primary generations: Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: North America ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Tech](https://www.trendhunter.com/tech) > [Science](https://www.trendhunter.com/science) ## Key Themes ### Key Themes Behind This Trend - **3D Printing Innovations:** The ability to create 3D printing filaments from unconventional materials opens up new possibilities for industries such as manufacturing and design. - **Asteroid Mining:** The concept of mining asteroids for resources presents disruptive innovation opportunities for industries such as space exploration and mining. - **Sustainable Resource Utilization:** Using materials harvested from beyond Earth highlights the potential for sustainable resource utilization in industries like construction and materials science. ### Where This Applies - **Manufacturing:** Exploring 3D printing innovations can lead to the adoption of new manufacturing processes and materials. - **Space Exploration:** The idea of asteroid mining could revolutionize the space exploration industry by providing access to valuable resources in space. - **Construction:** Incorporating sustainable resource utilization can revolutionize the construction industry by reducing reliance on traditional building materials and methods. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Liquid Metal 3D-Printing Techniques](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/liquid-metal-printing.md) - [Date Pit 3D-Printing Filaments](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/repit.md) - [Recycled Printing Powders](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/atmix.md) - [Meteorite Dust-Made Bricks](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/european-space-agency-1.md) - [Metal 3D Printers](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/valcun.md) - [Sci-Fi-Inspired 3D Printers](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/photon-nex.md) - [3D-Printed Filament Makers](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/polyformer.md) - [3D-Printed Space-Exploration Rockets](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/x-bow-launch-systems.md) - [Environmentally Friendly Metal Inks](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/electroninks.md)