Case Study: NASA achieves lightweight, mission-ready 3D-printed rover parts with Proto3000

Building a Human-Supporting Rover with FDM

NASA needed lightweight, rugged, human-rated components for a pressurized rover being tested in Arizona’s Desert RATS to simulate Mars conditions. To meet strict strength, safety and weight targets while enabling rapid design changes, NASA turned to Proto3000’s production-grade Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) 3D printing using engineering thermoplastics (ABS, PC‑ABS and polycarbonate).

Proto3000 printed roughly 70 FDM parts — including housings, flame‑retardant vents, camera mounts, pod doors, a front bumper and custom fixtures — allowing complex shapes that would be costly or impossible to machine. The solution sped prototyping and iteration, cut tooling risk and delivered durable, lightweight end-use parts that stood up to harsh field testing, enabling faster development cycles and confident validation of the rover’s design.

NASA

Chris Chapman

Test Engineer