• ORNL collaborated with NASA to 3D print a lunar rover wheel based on a NASA design.
• The project demonstrated the potential of additive manufacturing for creating highly specialized parts needed for space exploration. 
• NASA plans to test the printed wheel’s performance to compare with a traditionally manufactured wheel that will be used on the moon next year.
• The ORNL-printed wheel prototype was able to incorporate more design features and complexity into a single piece, while taking less time and manpower to make. 

Researchers at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, in collaboration with NASA, are taking additive manufacturing to the final frontier by 3D printing the same kind of wheel as the design used by NASA for its robotic lunar rover, demonstrating the technology for specialized parts needed for space exploration.

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