{"id":69599,"date":"2026-03-10T16:00:39","date_gmt":"2026-03-10T15:00:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.3dnatives.com\/en\/?p=69599"},"modified":"2026-03-06T15:10:21","modified_gmt":"2026-03-06T14:10:21","slug":"nasa-deploys-3d-printed-spring-in-orbit-10032026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.3dnatives.com\/en\/nasa-deploys-3d-printed-spring-in-orbit-10032026\/","title":{"rendered":"NASA Deploys 3D-Printed Titanium Spring in Orbit"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"182\" data-end=\"500\">On February 3, as the Mercury One satellite passed over Earth, a small box released a titanium spring with a simple yet disruptive movement. This was the <strong>JPL Additive Compliant Canister<\/strong> (JACC), a technology demonstration developed by NASA\u2019s Jet Propulsion Laboratory showcasing the potential of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.3dnatives.com\/en\/what-is-additive-manufacturing\/\">additive manufacturing.<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"502\" data-end=\"793\">JACC is a new compact spring system designed to precisely deploy antennas on future orbiters. These spacecraft circle a planet or moon for long periods of time to study it from space. NASA chose to test additive manufacturing under real operating conditions, and the results were successful.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"795\" data-end=\"1122\">The JACC spring is an excellent example of Design for Additive Manufacturing (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.3dnatives.com\/en\/10-reasons-why-dfam-matters-in-3d-printing-120320244\/\">DfAM<\/a>). It uses three times fewer components than comparable structures, combining a hinge, a panel, a compression spring and two torsion springs into a single part. The spring design is inspired by communication antennas commonly used on satellites.<\/p><div class=\"dnati-inside-article-leaderboard\" style=\"text-align: center;\" id=\"dnati-707549804\"><a data-no-instant=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/app.swapcard.com\/login\/event\/additiv-defense-2026\/ticket\/VGlja2V0VHlwZV83MDM4MQ==\/page\/UmVnaXN0cmF0aW9uRm9ybV81NjE4Ng==\" rel=\"noopener\" class=\"a2t-link\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"LB (4)\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.3dnatives.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/LB-4.gif\" alt=\"\"  width=\"850\" height=\"150\"   \/><\/a><\/div>\n<div style=\"margin: 20px 0px; text-align: justify;\"><video style=\"display: block; margin: 0 auto; max-width: 100%;\" controls=\"controls\" width=\"700\" height=\"400\"><source src=\"https:\/\/www.3dnatives.com\/es\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/PIA26706.webm\" type=\"video\/webm\" \/>Tu navegador no soporta la reproducci\u00f3n de videos.<\/video><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size: 0.9em; color: #666666; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center;\"><i>Deployment of the JACC over the Pacific Ocean. Credits: NASA \/ JPL<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"189\" data-end=\"223\"><strong data-start=\"189\" data-end=\"223\">Key figures for the component:<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"225\" data-end=\"463\">\n<li data-section-id=\"1abopu6\" data-start=\"225\" data-end=\"251\">\n<p data-start=\"227\" data-end=\"251\"><strong data-start=\"227\" data-end=\"240\">Material:<\/strong> Titanium<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-section-id=\"bqq6ct\" data-start=\"252\" data-end=\"277\">\n<p data-start=\"254\" data-end=\"277\"><strong data-start=\"254\" data-end=\"265\">Weight:<\/strong> 498 grams<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-section-id=\"13dy232\" data-start=\"278\" data-end=\"328\">\n<p data-start=\"280\" data-end=\"328\"><strong data-start=\"280\" data-end=\"310\">Size of the entire system:<\/strong> ~10 cm per side<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-section-id=\"134p9rh\" data-start=\"329\" data-end=\"418\">\n<p data-start=\"331\" data-end=\"418\"><strong data-start=\"331\" data-end=\"359\">Spring deployment range:<\/strong> From 3 cm (compressed) to 15 cm (full deployment height)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-section-id=\"13dq4qt\" data-start=\"419\" data-end=\"463\">\n<p data-start=\"421\" data-end=\"463\"><strong data-start=\"421\" data-end=\"442\">Development time:<\/strong> Less than one year<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"154\" data-end=\"505\">JACC was printed entirely in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.3dnatives.com\/en\/titanium-its-alloys-and-3d-printing-with-ti6al4v\/\">titanium<\/a>, taking advantage of the metal\u2019s high strength-to-weight ratio and good elastic response. NASA\u2019s Jet Propulsion Laboratory stated in a press release: \u201cThe success of JACC demonstrates that 3D-printed mechanisms can be built faster, cheaper and with less complexity than traditionally manufactured space hardware.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"507\" data-end=\"877\">The JACC did not travel alone. It is part of the PANDORASBox experiment, which also includes the SUM deployable antenna. What is most striking for the industry is the speed of execution, as both devices were designed, manufactured, tested and delivered for flight in less than a year with minimal budgets. You can read the Jet Propulsion Laboratory\u2019s statement <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jpl.nasa.gov\/images\/pia26706-jpl-3d-printed-part-springs-forward\/\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"507\" data-end=\"877\">What do you think of this 3D-printed spring that NASA has deployed in space? Let us know in a comment below or on our\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/4987104\/\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">LinkedIn<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0or\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/3Dnatives\/\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">pages! Plus, don\u2019t forget to sign up for our free weekly\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.3dnatives.com\/en\/3d-printing-newsletter\/\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Newsletter<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0to get the latest 3D printing news straight to your inbox. You can also find all our videos on our\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCMWrNpdLOXa7BffRKXZoaZw\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">YouTube<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0channel. If you are interested in more 3D printing news in the automotive and transportation sector, visit our dedicated page\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.3dnatives.com\/en\/automotive-and-transport-3d-printing\/\">HERE<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">*Cover photo: The JACC mechanism as the spacecraft flew over Antarctica. Credits: Proteus Space \/ Jet Propulsion Laboratory.<\/p>\n<div class=\"dnati-after-content\" id=\"dnati-1255889451\"><a data-no-instant=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/amcoe.org\/event\/design-for-additive-manufacturing-design-at-elevation\/\" rel=\"noopener\" class=\"a2t-link\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"DfAM course-850&#215;150\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.3dnatives.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/DfAM-course-850x150-1.jpg\" alt=\"\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/www.3dnatives.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/DfAM-course-850x150-1.jpg 850w, https:\/\/www.3dnatives.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/DfAM-course-850x150-1-600x106.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.3dnatives.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/DfAM-course-850x150-1-768x136.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.3dnatives.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/DfAM-course-850x150-1-160x28.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 850px) 100vw, 850px\" width=\"850\" height=\"150\"   \/><\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On February 3, as the Mercury One satellite passed over Earth, a small box released a titanium spring with a simple yet disruptive movement. This was the JPL Additive Compliant Canister (JACC), a technology demonstration developed by NASA\u2019s Jet Propulsion&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6123,"featured_media":69608,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[120,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-69599","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-aerospace","category-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.3dnatives.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69599","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.3dnatives.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.3dnatives.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.3dnatives.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6123"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.3dnatives.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=69599"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.3dnatives.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69599\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":69611,"href":"https:\/\/www.3dnatives.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69599\/revisions\/69611"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.3dnatives.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/69608"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.3dnatives.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=69599"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.3dnatives.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=69599"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.3dnatives.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=69599"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}