Page 114 - International Space Station Benefits for Humanity, 3rd edition.

of bioprinted constructs to Earth, histological tests
will be conducted to examine the internal structure.
The 3-D bioprinter will become a part of ISS scientific The new technology allows for
equipment for conducting further international the production of coatings with
experiments by any scientific groups and companies reduced friction coefficient, as
interested in 3-D bioprinting technology. That means
we are developing a novel shared research well as high corrosion resistance,
infrastructure for unique biomedical research strength and wear capacity.
on the ISS.

International Space Experiments:
PARSEC and MULTIPHAS The experimental data on a wide class of materials,
including magnetic, constructive and amorphous
Invention of modern materials for different alloys, provided important information for practical
applications is based on complex fundamental studies. applications. Using the data obtained onboard the ISS,
New properties of materials are often formed under a range of functional coatings with various properties
the strongly nonequilibrium conditions of heat treatment has been identified. The new technology allows for the
where the heating and cooling rates are high. In the production of coatings with reduced friction coefficient,
space experiments PERITECTICA (international as well as high corrosion resistance, strength and
acronym PARSEC) and KINETICA (acronym wear capacity. Therefore, this research has led to the
MULTIPHAS), the metal melts are tested with successful development of materials that can efficiently
the cooling rate up to 30°C (86°F) per second. serve humans in space and on Earth.
MSL-EML, a unique electromagnetic levitation
furnace developed by ESA, is used for this purpose.
Levitating and Melting Materials using
Coulomb Force Without a Container
On Earth, a liquid needs a container to stay put.
(a) (b) Because no containers are suitable for temperatures
higher than 2000°C (3632°F), it is difficult to melt
materials that have a high melting point. Containers
react to high temperature and contaminate
the materials.
In microgravity, liquid can be levitated easily and does
not need containers. This method of handling materials
without a container is called “containerless processing.”
(c) This processing allows us to closely investigate the
behavior of materials in their molten state, which is
difficult to do on Earth. The electrostatic levitation
method, which is one containerless processing
technique, uses the Coulomb force between charged
samples and electrodes, and controls the sample
position by using high-speed feedback from the
camera image.
(a) Sketch of the electromagnetic levitator furnace
MSL-EML: 1 – processing chamber; 2,3 – high-
speed camera; 4 – pyrometer; 5 – power supply
block; 6 – block of water cooling. (b) View of In microgravity, liquid can be
the sample levitating in the alternating magnetic
field of high frequency. (c) Microstructure of the levitated easily and does not
processed Nd2Fe14B1 sample. need containers.
Image credit: ESA

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