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British fighter jets airplanes have traveled for the first time with parts made using 3D printing technology.BAE Systems said the printing elements were efficiently used on board Tornado airplane that flew from the defense company’s airfield at Warton, Lancashire, in late Dec.
The company said its engineers were using 3D technology to design and produce parts that could cut the Royal Air Force’s maintenance and service bill by over £1.2m over the next four years.BAE Systems is working at RAF Marham, Norfolk, to engineer ready-made parts for four squadrons of Tornado GR4 aircraft, including protective covers for cockpit radios and guards for power take-off shafts. Some of the parts cost less than £100.
A BAE Systems handout photo of 3D printed components being made. Photograph: BAE Systems/PA
Mike Murray, head of airframe integration at BAE Systems, said: “You are suddenly not fixed in terms of where you have to manufacture these things. You can manufacture the products at whatever base you want, providing you can get a machine there, which means you can also start to support other platforms such as ships and aircraft carriers.“And if it’s feasible to get machines out on the front line, it also gives improved capability where we wouldn’t traditionally have any manufacturing support.”
Source:www.theguardian.com
The company said its engineers were using 3D technology to design and produce parts that could cut the Royal Air Force’s maintenance and service bill by over £1.2m over the next four years.BAE Systems is working at RAF Marham, Norfolk, to engineer ready-made parts for four squadrons of Tornado GR4 aircraft, including protective covers for cockpit radios and guards for power take-off shafts. Some of the parts cost less than £100.
A BAE Systems handout photo of 3D printed components being made. Photograph: BAE Systems/PA
Mike Murray, head of airframe integration at BAE Systems, said: “You are suddenly not fixed in terms of where you have to manufacture these things. You can manufacture the products at whatever base you want, providing you can get a machine there, which means you can also start to support other platforms such as ships and aircraft carriers.“And if it’s feasible to get machines out on the front line, it also gives improved capability where we wouldn’t traditionally have any manufacturing support.”
Source:www.theguardian.com
