3d printed airplane components

Will 3D Printed Aircraft Soon Become a Reality?

As the aviation industry continues to struggle with rising costs and the question of long-term environmental sustainability, there may be an option that can help with both problems. The 3D…

Boeing 777x Takes First Flight with over 600 3D-Printed Parts

Sunday saw the maiden flight of the Boeing 777X, marking an important date in the history of 3D printing for the twin GE9X engines driving the aircraft. Each GE9X features…

EOS and Etihad Airways Engineering Partner to Expand 3D Printed Aviation Applications

The United Arab Emirates’ Etihad Airways has long been serious about incorporating 3D printing into its airplanes, particularly cabin components. Now Etihad Airways Engineering, the largest aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul…

Honeywell Engineers Take on Industrial 3D Printing to Create Strong, Lightweight Parts in Metal

I took an overnight flight recently from Colorado to the East Coast. In the wee hours, the lights were dimmed and most of the passengers slept; however, in all my…

BigRep and Etihad Airways Partner to Fill Airplane Cabins with 3D Printed Components

Etihad Airways is the second largest airline in the United Arab Emirates, and is firmly committed to the idea that 3D printing has a solid place in the aerospace industry….

Airbus and Materialise 3D Print First Cabin Component to be Seen by Passengers

When it comes to 3D printing in the aerospace industry, few companies are more serious about the technology than Airbus. The company was ahead of others in incorporating 3D printing…

Collaborative Project Uses WAAM to 3D Print Stiffeners Directly on Airplane Fuselage Panels

Additive manufacturing is becoming widely used in the aerospace sector. The use to which the technology is being put to use in the manufacture of airplanes is becoming more diverse,…

Stratasys 3D Printing Saves “Hundreds of Thousands of Dollars” in Development of First Electric Passenger Plane

They’re often referred to as “puddle-jumpers” – the small commuter aircraft that transport people to relatively nearby destinations a few hundred miles away, as opposed to the big jet airliners…

Research at Romanian University Develops 3D Printed Two-Stroke Airplane Engine Prototype

I fly on an airplane maybe once or twice per year, but I admit that I don’t know a lot about planes, or engines; I just have faith that it will…

Roboze Works with CTC to Develop 3D Printing Materials and Applications for Aerospace

CTC GmbH is a subsidiary of Airbus, which we all know is a big fan of 3D printing. The CTC plays a large role in developing those 3D printed components for Airbus…

Etihad Partners with Diehl to 3D Print Aircraft Components for Middle Eastern Airline

Etihad Airways, the second largest airline of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Diehl Aerosystems, the engineering arm of the Diehl Group, entered into a strategic partnership to manufacture and…

Norsk Titanium Produces First FAA-Approved 3D Printed Structural Titanium Commercial Airplane Components for Boeing Dreamliner

When a company develops a unique technology, it’s understandable that they should want to keep it closely guarded, particularly in this digital era. Norsk Titanium has been developing their Rapid…

First Certified 3D Printed Aircraft Interior Component of the MENA Region is Ready to Fly

Just two months ago, Siemens AG and Strata Manufacturing PJSC signed a partnership with Etihad Airways, the second largest airline in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), to expand 3D printing technology…

Monash University and Amaero Engineering Acquire Xline 2000R Metal 3D Printer and 3D Print Biggest Metal Aerospace Component to Date

The Xline 2000R metal 3D printer from Concept Laser is a really big 3D printer. A really, really big one – in fact, it’s the biggest metal 3D printer in…

Ogle Models Uses 3D Printing to Help Develop Next Generation Business Class Airplane Seats for Zodiac Aerospace

I only fly on an airplane once, maybe twice a year, and while I appreciate how much faster this mode of travel is (if everything is running according to schedule,…

Partnership Between Siemens, Strata and Etihad Brings 3D Printed Aircraft Components to the Middle East and North Africa

As 3D printing – especially metal 3D printing – advances, we’re starting to see the technology used much more extensively in the aviation industry. The most well-known example is probably…

Brazilian Air Force Uses Stratasys 3D Printers to Manufacture Aircraft Components

The Instituto de Estudos Avançados (IEAv), the Brazilian Air Force’s Institute of Advanced Studies, has partnered with 3D printer manufacturer Stratasys to efficiently create robust aircraft components that are on par…

GE Aviation Conducts First Test of 3D Printed Advanced Turboprop Engine Components

GE has been in the news quite a bit lately for business reasons. Their acquisitions of major 3D printing companies, as well as their proposed acquisitions and failed acquisitions, have…

Airbus Files Patent for 3D Printing Process That Could Print Entire Super-Strong Airplanes

Realistically, it isn’t 3D printing technology that will change the way products are manufactured, but rather it will be advancements in materials science. There are already more than a half…

GE Aviation Tests the Largest Jet Engine in the World, Featuring 3D Printed Fuel Nozzles

A year ago, GE Aviation began incorporating 3D printed components into their jet engines for the first time ever, retrofitting hundreds of their GE90 engines with 3D printed sensor housings. At that…

Alcoa Signs Contract With Airbus, Will Begin Supplying 3D Printed Airplane Components by Mid-2016

Lightweight metals manufacturer Alcoa is relatively new to 3D printing, but once they decided to pursue the technology, they pursued it aggressively. The multinational corporation announced their intention to adopt 3D…

Physicist Wants to 3D Print the Cockpit of a World War II Warbird

Munich, Germany is home to the Deutsches Museum, the world’s largest museum of science and technology. It was a visit to this museum that instilled in young Christoph Vernaleken a…

Set Your Drink On a Nice New 3D Printed Cocktail Tray When You Fly Air New Zealand

I’ve never been in business class on any airplane, but I’m told it’s pretty nice. You’re not wedged between two or more people with little or no elbow room, the…

Airbus Uses Autodesk to Create a Space-Saving 3D Printed Organically Structured Dividing Wall

There are two things that commercial airplane designers love more than anything: The ability to increase the amount of space inside of the cabin so they can squeeze one or…