{"id":5968,"date":"2026-01-08T13:21:21","date_gmt":"2026-01-08T18:21:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cqfa.quebec\/?p=5968"},"modified":"2026-01-08T13:23:25","modified_gmt":"2026-01-08T18:23:25","slug":"3d-printing-ldpe-lunar-regolith-simulant-composite-manufacturing-with-in-situ-resources-on-the-moon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cqfa.quebec\/en\/3d-printing-ldpe-lunar-regolith-simulant-composite-manufacturing-with-in-situ-resources-on-the-moon\/","title":{"rendered":"3D printing LDPE\/lunar regolith simulant composite: manufacturing with in-situ resources on the moon"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>Moazen, S.; Gosselin, F.P.; Tabiai, I.; Dub\u00e9, M. (2025). 3D printing LDPE\/lunar regolith simulant composite: manufacturing with in-situ resources on the moon. Acta Astronautica vol. 237, 2025, 409-420.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Additive manufacturing is essential for space missions, enabling on-demand production of components where resupply from Earth is limited. Fused deposition modeling (FDM) offers a promising route for repurposing plastic packaging waste into 3D printing feedstock. Low-density polyethylene (LDPE), commonly used in space packaging, can be combined with lunar regolith simulant to increase material availability for in-situ resource utilization (ISRU). However, the method of incorporating regolith into the polymer matrix affects filament quality and printability. Here, we compare single-screw and twin-screw extrusion techniques for producing LDPE\/regolith composite filaments containing up to 30\u00a0wt% regolith. Both methods successfully produced filaments suitable for FDM, though single-screw extrusion required a second extrusion step above 10\u00a0wt% regolith. Filaments were evaluated for diameter consistency and printability, including the successful fabrication of NASA-designed parts. Regolith addition enhances print performance by improving overhang formation, gap bridging, and reducing warpage. Tensile testing shows increased stiffness without compromising strength up to 20\u00a0wt% regolith. These results demonstrate that LDPE and lunar regolith can be effectively processed into printable feedstock, supporting sustainable manufacturing strategies for lunar applications and advancing terrestrial plastic waste recycling.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"link-btn-style btn-yellow\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/pii\/S0094576525005132\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read the publication<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Moazen, S.; Gosselin, F.P.; Tabiai, I.; Dub\u00e9, M. (2025). 3D printing LDPE\/lunar regolith simulant composite: manufacturing with in-situ resources on the moon. Acta Astronautica vol. 237, 2025, 409-420. &nbsp; Additive [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":80,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[43],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5968","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-publications-academiques-quebecoises"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>3D printing LDPE\/lunar regolith simulant composite: manufacturing with in-situ resources on the moon - CQFA - Carrefour qu\u00e9b\u00e9cois de la fabrication additive<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cqfa.quebec\/en\/3d-printing-ldpe-lunar-regolith-simulant-composite-manufacturing-with-in-situ-resources-on-the-moon\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"3D printing LDPE\/lunar regolith simulant composite: manufacturing with in-situ resources on the moon - CQFA - Carrefour qu\u00e9b\u00e9cois de la fabrication additive\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Moazen, S.; Gosselin, F.P.; Tabiai, I.; Dub\u00e9, M. (2025). 3D printing LDPE\/lunar regolith simulant composite: manufacturing with in-situ resources on the moon. 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