NASA JPL engineer Ryan Watkins emphasizes growing adoption of 3D printing for spacecraft energy absorption applications.
As noted in contemporary comments made to TCT Magazine, NASA engineer Ryan Watkins asserts that 3D printing technology’s crushable structures will greatly benefit future space operations.
While discussing the structures with Watkins, a research engineer of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), remarked that they are useful for energy absorption during important spacecraft maneuvers such as deployment and landing as well as separation.
The invention of 3D printing, which is also called additive manufacturing (AM), created unprecedented opportunities for fabricating lattice structures which possess shock mitigating features that are ideal for space applications.
“AM was considered a novelty without much practical use,” Watkins told TCT about his early days at JPL. “Today, it feels like the winds are shifting. People are now starting to seek out the use of AM rather than us seeking out users.”
Despite significant advancements in 3D printing technology, Watkins acknowledged that challenges remain, particularly regarding scalability and overall process flow.
JPL is now emphasizing the use of 3D printing within the context of everyday engineering problems, rather than treating it as a standalone task. “The more we integrate AM into robust and complex engineering tasks at hand, the clearer its strengths and shortcomings become. It allows us to tackle high-risk, high-reward projects in the future,” Watkins elucidated.
Read more : New Functional 3D Materials from Inslogic Debut at RAPID 2025
This military-style training routine is developing the confidence and skills required for space mission engineers to utilize the benefits of additive manufacturing technologies in future operations.
