Description: Cornerstone Research Group Inc.’s (CRG) demonstrated expertise in polymer AM materials development, systems engineering, and feedstock recycling for ISRU offers NASA the opportunity to obtain AM process monitoring and control systems for online quality control of feedstock production and printed parts. CRG’s proposed approach applies sensors, hardware, and software algorithms to monitor and adjust feedstock production AND printing processes in real time as well as certify feedstock and print quality. Hardware and software developed on this program by CRG will be integrated into systems already being developed to support NASA’s ISM on complimentary efforts. CRG’s proposed approach will initially be applied to FDM feedstock production and print quality, but is applicable to other AM processes using the same control hardware and software with different sensor inputs.

Benefits: - Improvements to the Refabricator multi-material recycler printer system - Volumetric consolidation of ISS waste plastics - Recycling ISS waste plastics into 3D printable filament - Reduce payload needs for AM fabrication in-space - In-situ monitoring extensible to metal additive manufacturing

- Novel 3D printing feedstock materials - Improved consumer-level FDM feedstock production - In-situ filament fabrication monitoring and corrective feedback add-on - In-situ print quality monitoring - 3D printers with improved or tailorable layer-to-layer adhesion