In-Space Manufacturing News
Explore feature stories about microgravity testing, in-space manufacturing (ISM) and printable electronics development.
View media coverageSingle-Step Plasma Jet Printing for Advanced Electronics Manufacturing
Space Foundry enables direct printing of conductors and dielectrics on flat, curved, and complex 3D surfaces with no pre- or post-treatment. Our platform supports desktop systems, conformal printing systems, OEM printhead integration, and printed service programs for aerospace, defense, electronics, and advanced manufacturing customers.
8granted patents
20+publications
15+global installations
3core product platforms
Why Space Foundry
Single-step process
Dry printing with no curing and strong adhesion
Product coverage
Desktop printer, conformal printer, and OEM printhead integration
Commercial flexibility
Equipment sales, lease, OEM integration, and printed service
Built for customer programs requiring rapid process development, pilot manufacturing, conformal electronics, antennas, EMI shielding, and advanced printed structures.
Featured Media
Recent coverage and technical stories
Printed Electronics Manufacturing News
Read industry articles covering plasma-based printing, 3D electronics, and advanced manufacturing applications.
Open resources
Space Foundry's garage story
See how Space Foundry has been featured across startup, research and commercialization media platforms. How we started from garage and still keep it vibrant.
Read storiesTechnology
How Plasma Jet Printing works
Space Foundry’s patented plasma jet printing process aerosolizes metal-ion inks, introduces them into a reactive plasma environment, performs in-situ reduction, and deposits conductive material directly onto the target surface in dry form.
Role of Plasma
- Charged particles, neutrals and free radicals are generated which are then accelerated towards the substrate by the electromagnetic field.
- Activation of the material to be printed and the surface to be coated.
- Enhance the adhesion.
- Precise control over thickness and morphology.
- Ability to tailor material properties in-situ (both electronic and morphology).
- Enables orientation independence giving ability to print upside down or in any direction in dry form.
- Provides true single-step solution without pre and post treatment.
Single-step process
Print conductive and dielectric materials without separate pre-treatment or post-curing workflows.
Conformal printing
Deposit electronics on curved, vertical, and complex 3D surfaces for advanced manufacturing use cases.
Strong adhesion
Plasma activation supports reliable adhesion and improved compatibility across multiple substrates.
Orientation independence
Print in multiple orientations, including non-planar geometries that challenge conventional methods.
Multi-material capability
Support copper, silver, and dielectric printing workflows for antennas, sensors, and related structures.
Reduced manufacturing complexity
Replace multi-step print, cure, align, and repeat cycles with a simpler direct-write approach.
Applications
Conformal Printing of Electronics on Any Substrates
The platform is designed for use cases where conventional additive methods struggle with curved surfaces, adhesion, orientation, thickness building, or process complexity.
Aerospace & Defense
Conformal antennas, frequency selective surfaces, electromagnetic shielding, and RF structures for aircraft, UAVs, missiles, and related platforms.
Automotive
Electronics integrated into curved vehicle surfaces, including LiDAR heaters, conformal antennas, and sensor structures.
In-space Manufacturing
Emerging use cases for in-space manufacturing (ISM) of electronic components for both space and terrestrial applications. We will enable in space metallization for a broad range of applications.
Robotics & Autonomy
Printed sensors, EMI shielding, and communication features integrated into robotic platforms and autonomous systems.
Medical & Wearables
A future pathway for conformal electronics in sensors, monitoring devices, implants, and wearable systems.
Advanced R&D
Desktop and pilot systems for research institutions, prototyping teams, and feasibility programs exploring next-generation electronics manufacturing.
Application Demonstrations
Robotic Arm Integrated Plasma Printing
Automated plasma jet printing integrated with robotic systems for advanced conformal electronics manufacturing.
Zero Gravity Printing Demonstration
Demonstration of plasma jet printing technology tested under micro-gravity conditions for in-space manufacturing applications.
Plasma Jet Printing Technology Overview
Products
Systems for R&D, pilot work, and industrial integration
Space Foundry offers multiple hardware configurations, from desktop development systems to robotic and gantry integrations for large-format conformal printing.
Product Platform
Desktop System
A compact platform for R&D, process development, and proof of concept multi-material printing on planar surface.
- Corporate R&D
- University research
- Process development
Product Platform
Conformal Printer
Printing of electronic materials on non-planar surfaces. Antennas, sensors, RF structures, and conductive patterns printed directly on complex 3D surfaces.
- Printed antennas
- Frequency selective surfaces
- Inner mold layer (IML) and Outer mold layer (OML printing)
- Sensors & RF structures
Product Platform
Roll-to-Roll Systems
Continuous printing configurations for flexible substrates. Multi-material printing and pilot scale demonstration.
- Flexible electronics
- Continuous workflows
- Production scalability
Product Platform
Robotic Arm Integration
Conformal printing integrated into robotic workflows for complex geometries and advanced aerospace manufacturing tasks.
- Complex 3D parts
- Upside down printing
- OEM integration
- Sinle step & Orientation independence
Product Platform
Large Gantry Systems
Industrial-scale systems for printing on large structures such as aircraft surfaces, radomes, and composite assemblies.
- Large-format parts
- Aerospace structures
- Production integration
Lease Offer – Desktop Printer (available for immediate installation)
6‑month lease program for short‑term projects, evaluations, and feasibility studies.Total Lease Cost: $22,500
Includes shipping, installation, on‑site training, and customer support.Software Capabilities
Technical Datasheets
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Services
Printed Service and Custom Process Development
We do custom process development and end‑to‑end printed service for customers who prefer to have printing done by Space Foundry either in our plant or directly in their production facility. We develop a complete process for printing customer‑defined patterns with required technical specifications and print them onto the platform of their choice. This contract development service helps customers avoid capital equipment expenditure and the need to develop in‑house expertise while enabling them to meet demand on short notice.
Custom hardware development
Custom process development
Feasibility studies
Proof-of-concept programs
OEM system integration
On-demand printed electronics support
Customers & Installations
Deployed across research and industry partners
Systems and projects span universities, national labs, and industry collaborations in the United States and internationally, including demonstrations connected to NASA programs and advanced aerospace applications.
Trusted By
NASA Ames Research Center
Sandia National Laboratories
NextFlex
Monash University
RMIT University
UCL
IIT Kanpur
Boise State University
Idaho National Laboratory
NASA Marshall Space Flight Center
NASA Ames Research Center
Sandia National Laboratories
NextFlex
Monash University
RMIT University
UCL
IIT Kanpur
Boise State University
Idaho National Laboratory
NASA Marshall Space Flight Center
NASA Ames Research Center
Monash University
IIEST, Shibpur
UCL
Sandia National Laboratories
RMIT University
Oklahoma State University
NextFlex
NextFlex Robotics
Kansas State University
IIT Kanpur
Boise State University
Norfolk State University
NASA Marshall Space Flight Center
Idaho National Laboratory
University of Auckland
Resources
Patents, Publications and Media
Explore the technical foundation behind Space Foundry's plasma jet printing technology through patents, peer-reviewed publications, conference papers, and media coverage.
8Granted patents
20+Research articles
18News & media articles
10+Global research collaborations
Patents Expand
- Modular Print Head Assembly for Plasma Jet Printing
- Situ tailoring of material properties in 3D printed electronics
- 3D Printed electronics using directional plasma jet
- In situ tailoring of material properties in 3D printed electronics
- In situ tailoring of material properties in 3D printed electronics
- 3D Printed electronics using directional plasma jet
- Method to print organic electronics without changing its properties
- Atmospheric pressure plasma based fabrication process of printable electronics & functional coatings
- Patent application
Patent pending.
- Patent application
Patent pending.
Publications Expand
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ACS Publications
Plasma jet printing of electronic materials on flexible and nonconformal objects
Scalable low-cost fabrication of disposable paper sensors for DNA detection
Plasma jet printing and in situ reduction of highly acidic graphene oxide
Hierarchical structures formed in an atmospheric pressure plasma jet by polymerization from an aerosol of oxalic acid stabilized WO3-x nanosheet colloids
High-Definition Area-Specific Printing of Patterned Conductive Sub-μm Features for Large-Area Electronics Manufacturing
Low-Temperature Deposition of Gold Patterns with Improved Adhesion and Conductivity Characteristics for Printed Electronic Applications -
IEEE Publications
Atmospheric pressure plasma printing of nanomaterials for IoT applications
Plasma jet printing: an introduction
Plasma jet printing of diamond and silicon
In-Situ and Simultaneous Surface Treatment and Self-Sintering of Patterned Conductive Traces
One-Step Plasma Jet Deposition and Self-Sintering of Gold Nanoparticle Inks on Low-Temperature Substrates -
IOP / AIP Publications
Plasma jet printing for flexible substrates
Plasma jet printing of metallic patterns in zero gravity
Printing of electromagnetic interference shielding materials
Printed graphene and its composite with copper for electromagnetic interference shielding applications -
Royal Society of Chemistry
Plasma jet printing of colloidal thermoelectric Bi2Te3 nanoflakes for flexible energy harvesting
Rapid single step atmospheric pressure plasma jet deposition of a SERS active surface -
Nature / Wiley / Elsevier / SPIE / Other Journals
Plasma jet based in situ reduction of copper oxide indirect write printing
Plasma jet printing of copper and silver antennas operating at 2.4 GHz
Plasma jet printed AgNP electrodes for high-performance fabric TENGs and adaptive sensing applications
Plasma-aided direct printing of silver nanoparticle conductive structures on polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) surfaces
Autonomous Aerosol and Plasma Co-Jet Printing of Metallic Devices at Ambient Temperature
Metal Painting by Plasma Jet
Plasma-jet printing for selective fabrication of SERS-active substrates with high reproducibility and design flexibility
Media & News Expand
In-Space Manufacturing News
Coverage focused on NASA programs, in-space manufacturing, microgravity testing, and NASA-origin technology transfer.
Urban Biomining Meets Printable Electronics
NASA NIAC concept for recycling electronics feedstock and printing new devices using plasma jet electronics printing.
Read article
Microgravity Testing Advances Space-Based Printing of Electronics
NASA Armstrong feature on parabolic flight testing and space-based electronics manufacturing.
Read article
Plasma Improves 3D Electronics Printing
NASA Spinoff story on Space Foundry’s plasma jet printer and electronics fabrication in space and on Earth.
Read articleNASA TechPort Project
NASA project record covering Space Foundry-related technology development activities.
Read articleSLAC X-Ray Studies Help NASA Develop Printable Electronics for Mars Mission
SLAC coverage on characterization work supporting printable electronics for NASA mission concepts.
Read articleScientists Develop Plasma-Printed Sensors for Astronaut Health
Coverage of plasma-printed sensors designed for biological and chemical sensing applications in space.
Read articlePlasma Sensors in Space to Monitor Health
Trade press coverage on plasma-printed sensing approaches connected to astronaut health monitoring.
Read articleForget 3D Printing — Plasma Printing in Space Is Where It's At
Popular press coverage of plasma printing and the promise of in-space electronics manufacturing.
Read articlePrinted Electronics Manufacturing News
Industry, research, and technical press covering plasma-based printing, flexible electronics, nanomaterials, and advanced manufacturing.
Space Foundry Plasma 3D Printed Electronics
VoxelMatters interview on the company’s plasma-based approach to electronics printing.
Read article
Space Foundry Backs Plasma-Based 3D Printing as the Future of Electronics Production
3D Printing Industry coverage of product direction and market potential for plasma-based electronics printing.
Read article
How Space Foundry’s Plasma-Based Process Will Disrupt 3D Printed Electronics
Reprint and summary focused on Space Foundry’s process and its implications for 3D printed electronics.
Read article
Electronics 3D Printing Technology Completes Latest Parabolic Flight Testing
3DPrint.com interview on microgravity testing, technology strategy, and commercialization direction.
Read articlePlasma Printing Techniques
Early coverage on depositing nanomaterials on flexible substrates using plasma printing techniques.
Read article
Additive Manufacturing and Ink-Substrate Research Opens New Doors for Flexible Circuits
Oregon State feature highlighting direct writing, flexible circuits, and printed/flexible hybrid electronics research.
Read articleNew Method Prints Nanomaterials with Plasma
R&D World coverage of the direct-write plasma process for depositing nanomaterials.
Read articlePrinting Nanomaterials with Plasma
ScienceDaily summary of the work on depositing nanomaterials on flexible surfaces using plasma.
Read articleMethod to Deposit Nanomaterials on Flexible Surfaces
Phys.org coverage on the underlying printed electronics and flexible substrate work.
Read articleA Success Story from Garage-Silicon Valley Inspiration
Stories about the company journey, startup origin, customer traction, and translation from lab innovation to product and deployment.
Born out of NASA and Stanford, Space Foundry Invents Plasma-Based Printers
YourStory feature on the company’s origin, founders, garage development story, and early product direction.
Read article
Success Story: Space Foundry
NextFlex case study on process development, cleanroom access, and scaling flexible hybrid electronics capability.
Read articlePlasma Jet Technology and Encouraging Pacific Students in Science
RNZ audio story blending the company’s technology journey with outreach and science engagement.
Read articleTeam
Leadership
Space Foundry is led by a team with expertise in plasma science, advanced manufacturing, and printed electronics commercialization.
Ram Prasad Gandhiraman
Co-founder & CEO
Inventor of plasma jet printing technology with extensive research and commercialization experience in materials engineering.
Dennis Nordlund
Co-founder & CTO
Chief architect for development of plasma jet printing systems, hardware and software platforms, and advanced manufacturing integration.
Pranay Doshi
Principal Engineer
Leads engineering development and system integration for plasma jet printing platforms, process development and customer deployments.
About
A NASA Ames spinoff focused on conformal electronics
Space Foundry is based in San Jose, California and develops plasma jet printing technology for conformal electronics, including hardware platforms, process development, and integrated manufacturing solutions.
The company’s technology portfolio includes issued patents, technical publications, global customer installations, and development support from government-funded innovation programs.
San Jose, California
Printed electronics equipment & product manufacturing
NASA and U.S. government SBIR-supported development
Patented single-step conformal printing
Contact
Start a conversation
Reach out to discuss a demo, pilot program, custom integration, or advanced manufacturing partnership.