Photo taken inside the ISS on Aug 6, 2018

3D Printing in Space

In 2017, I led a team that designed a connector for securing tools in a spacecraft. We won the contest, and our design was 3D printed aboard the International Space Station (ISS) in August 2017.

Role

Lead Designer

Team

4 Designers

Timeline

2 Months

Design considerations

Astronaut Tool Use

Observations from ISS videos showed frequent use of plastic zip-ties for various purposes, leading us to incorporate zip-tie compatibility into our connector design.

Astronaut Tool Use

Observations from ISS videos showed frequent use of plastic zip-ties for various purposes, leading us to incorporate zip-tie compatibility into our connector design.

Cost of Space Transport

Transporting materials to space is extremely costly, with estimates from 2007 indicating over 1 million euros per kilogram. This constraint necessitated a design that was both lightweight and structurally sound.

Cost of Space Transport

Human Factors

Needs to be easy to use, no guidelines or explanations needed. You don't need to think about Velcro, it just works. We wanted our design to work like that.

Result: Astronaut retrieving the printed parts in the ISS

Peggy Whitson aboard the ISS, 2017.

Approach

Research the real context

Reviewed ISS footage to see how astronauts actually handle tools. Noted frequent use of zip-ties to use as a practical anchor.

Design for human affordances

Used the “right-hand rule” so tightening feels instinctive (same direction as bottles/screws).

Engineer for space constraints

Minimise material without compromising strength. Designed for in-situ 3D printing.

Quick iteration

Over 15+ tests to arrive to the final form.

Right-Hand Rule

The connector was designed using the "right-hand rule," which aligns with the intuitive human tendency to tighten screws and bottle caps by turning them to the right.