Finding objects to print
Printing objects that are of no use to anyone else but us is the ultimate use of a 3D printer. For most of us, it hardly seems worth it to spend hours printing something such as an inexpensive hook for our coat that we could just buy at a store. The exception would be for remote outposts where getting such common items is a challenge.
3D Printing in Space
A 3D printer made by an American company Made In Space was first used aboard the International Space Station (ISS) in 2014 to print a ratchet. The 3D printer, named Additive Manufacturing Facility (AMF), has a build volume of 14 cm by 10 cm by 10 cm. Designed to print common filament materials such as Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS), the goal of the company is to have the printer use materials made from moon dust and Martian soil.
In this section, we will explore the various avenues where we can find objects to print. We will start with a look at 3D file formats.
