Electronic components being printed by the Nano Dimension DragonFly IV printer.
The functionality of any space mission is determined by its electrical, electronic and electro-mechanical (EEE) components. Individually small in size, a standard satellite can contain thousands of active and passive devices, along with several kilometres of connective links. ESA is looking into printing these electronics, to boost overall robustness while driving down mass, manufacturing lead times, and cost.
Printed electronics involves 3D printing a variety of electrically active materials such as metals or carbon-doped polymers to form devices like transistors, capacitors and resistors, plus the electrical connectors linking them together.