Morningbird Space Develops 3D Technologies to Accelerate Space Conquest

It’s hard to ignore additive manufacturing when it comes to aerospace and space conquest. It would seem that the technology has become an essential means of designing more efficient parts and tools, rather like artificial intelligence. This is the context in which the American company Morningbird Space Corporation operates. It aims to develop solutions that facilitate space conquest and exploration. To this end, the company has turned its attention to additive manufacturing, developing a range of multi-material 3D printers capable of creating parts from six materials simultaneously, including plastics, metals and composites. The company has also developed a 3D printable humanoid robot to facilitate access to certain production methods and technologies such as CAD modeling, 3D printing and coding. To find out more about these projects, we spoke to Dr. Chance Glenn, founder and president of Morningbird Space Corporation.

3DN: Could you introduce yourself and explain your connection to additive manufacturing?

My name is Chance Glenn, and I am a full professor of Electrical Engineering at Alabama A&M University as well as the founder and President of Morningbird Space Corporation. I have a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the Johns Hopkins University Whiting School of Engineering. I have been inspired to create innovative technologies for the space industry because of my love for science fiction, particularly the original Star Trek series. The world that they created and the wonders that they produced caused me to dream about doing the same things that Science Officer Mr. Spock and Chief Engineer Mr. Scott did. I became an engineer because of this and started down a road of invention. I am also motivated to teach and share the benefits of knowledge with my students as a way to keep a cycle of learning turning, because I believe that education changes lives. 3D printing is much like the “replicators” in Star Trek lore. Not too long ago, my colleague, Dr. Wing Chan, and I developed and patented a set of materials and a process to 3D print functional electronics devices. Since then, we have worked to commercialize this technology in the form of the Electronic Alchemy eforge. This work was funded by the NASA SBIR program and has helped us build into our company, Morningbird Space Corporation, a wealth of knowledge and capability in additive manufacturing.

Dr Chance Glenn

3DN: What is Morningbird Space, and why was it created?

Morningbird Space Corporation is a technology development company that focuses on creating, developing, and commercializing innovations for the space industry. We have expertise and are developing technologies in additive manufacturing, advanced propulsion, and autonomous construction. We have been funded by and created strong ties with NASA, the National Science Foundation, and SpaceX to name a few, as well as other space technology organizations. We have developed a strong tie with the Alabama A&M Research, Innovation, Science, and Engineering (AAMU-RISE) Foundation, all in an effort to bring cutting-edge science and technology to commercial reality.