3D Printed aircraft flies
 

An unmanned aircraft has just been launched from HMS Mersey having been printed on board. A first step but far-reaching possibilities: aircraft or other weapon systems could be printed as required.

...not quite sure how you could print an explosive substance though?

Perhaps an enemy could just buy an Eraser to counter your printed weapon!

3D Printed aircraft flies
 

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Waste of time. Why print it when you could just Fax it to the destination!

Why fax it when you could use Hawala. Maybe The Sullivans was an early trial.

A titanium wing spar has sucessifully been 3D 'printed' ...

3ders.org - 3-meter long titanium airplane part 3D printed in one piece | 3D Printer News & 3D Printing News

http://www.3ders.org/images/3d-print...nium-china.jpg

You can 3D print in titanium now? Or do they use the epoxy as a mould?

Des this mean that warships will revert to Canons?

JAJ ... Yes that's printing (aka Laser Additive Manufacturing) in titanium ...

It would seem from this pic taken aboard HMS Mersey, that the RN also get some Humrol paints to help them distinguish Port and Starboard :}

http://i1004.photobucket.com/albums/...psl1wzqrai.jpg

Image Credit : MOD RN

Nice one, Wensleydale!

GE have already printed a working gas turbine to prove the concept

See

GE fires up fully 3D-printed jet engine


They printed a house In China

http://www.digitaltrends.com/cool-te...n-three-hours/

Careful Nutty ... We'll blow Busters mind with all this stuff ... The Fax is 'state of the art' technology where he comes from :E

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I do wonder if in the future where you have corrosion or combat damage in spars etc will they have the facility to print repairs directly onto the damaged structure thus restoring it back to its factory dimensions / strength.

No need for machine tools?

Be a bummer if the printer, like my HP, stops half way through.

Or ot prints onto the spar the wheel bolt that was still in the printers cache :E

The key with 3d printing for manufacturing aircraft components (particularly titanium) is the low level of material wastage involved compared to conventional production. There was an article on the 787 recently in a major news outlet and Boeing's stated prime aim was to reduce the percentage of loss, which is currently mind-bending, given the huge cost of the raw material!

Though not having to wait for 'just in time' spares would be nice. Although the RAF would by 1 printer between 3 units, and it would be the old kind that uses a cable no one makes any more...

Probably no power for nav lights. :rolleyes: :)

Yep, a dot matrix running through a serial port that would be both heavy and ever so slow :E

As for holding the drawings, best guess, they would be held by and licenced from BAe etc who would transmit them direct over the web at a cost of zillions per print.

Recruitment crisis solved :E

New 3D bioprinter to reproduce human organs, change the face of healthcare: The inside story - Feature - TechRepublic