Question by Adel: Is 3D printing really going to revolutionize aviation?
Effectively, I was just asking yourself regardless of whether 3d printing can actually revolutionize aviation like it is supposed to. The other day I was reading a blog report (http://3dprinthq.com/the-future-of-aviation-shaped-by-3d-printing/) and some of the claims were really more than the best, like 3d printed intelligent planes capable of harvesting human body energy, virtual environment places and so forth.
When I believe about 3d printing now, all I actually consider of are toys and sculptures. Could 3d printers actually print out complete planes in the future? And is all that even possible (intelligent planes and stuff)?
Ideal answer:
Answer by Michael Darnell
There is no reason to consider that 3d-printers will not be in a position to be utilised to make custom parts for aviation. Not your low cost small printers that make items out of plastic – but the industrial grade 3d printers that make parts out of metal powder and weld the metal particles in location with incredibly correct laser heating. These higher end 3d-printers cost a excellent deal, but they are nevertheless significantly less expensive for a aircraft repair shop to use. If you need to have a part which demands to be cast that implies creating a mould or die and obtaining a specialty machine shop to adjust it to match the aircraft, simply because no aircraft is in precisely the same shape that it had when it rolled out to the factory. The 3d- printer can save a lot of these actions for even an ordinary cast magnesium or aluminum replacement part, and new custom components can be built almost in molecule precise layers to include carbon/carbon-fibre or metal-carbon-ceramic composite components as effectively as highly engineered polymers. Such materials are not feasible in most other manufacturing techniques and they are in some circumstances robust enough to endure far more Gs than most usually cast and even some forged components at a much better weight to strength ratio. Some of the components in the stealth military aircraft included very comparable technologies so it is the way that the sector will likely comply with in years to come.
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