Is there anything that 3D printing ca n’t make ? From photorealistic replicas oflong - all in icemento intact segment of thehuman heart , it seems as if the sky ’s the limit point . In fact , the sky ’s exactly where the next 3D marvel is heading : Airbus has just uncover theworld ’s first 3D - print aircraft , constructed in just 4 weeks .
Named Thor , this small propellor plane is only 4 measure ( 13 feet ) long , and weigh less than 21 kilo ( 46 British pound sterling ) . Only the electric elements within the aircraft were not 3D print , but everything else was , from the wing to the fuselage .
“ This is a test of what ’s possible with 3D printing technology , ” tell Detlev Konigorski , Thor ’s lead developer for Airbus , at the International Aerospace Exhibition and Air Show at Berlin ’s southern Schoenefeld drome , as reported byGadgets 360 . “ We want to see if we can hasten up the development process by using 3-D printing not just for single parts but for an entire system . ”
You wo n’t check many passengers inside this peculiar planing machine just yet , regrettably . Schwarzbild Medien / F. Foring / Airbus Group
Far from being just a cool - look ordered series model of an aircraft , this trivial pilotless airplane , controlled remotely , has been shown to wing . Its inaugural flight took shoes near Hamburg last November , with the undertaking ’s principal engine driver Gunnar Haase taking control from the ground .
aright now , it ’s more of an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle ( UAV ) , or a “ trailer ” , than a true airplane . However , it serves as a tinge as to what ’s to come next . Just last week , Airbusfiled a patentfor a 3D printing process that would be capable of 3D printing an entirely useable and fully functional aircraft .
Thor , which is an acronym for “ Test of gamy - text edition Objectives in world ” , is a coherent whole tone up from what both Airbus and its US rival Boeing are already doing – 3D impression parts for their A350 and B787 passenger jets , respectively . Each component requires no tools and can be tack together unbelievably quickly .
It ’s very probable that , not before long , it wo n’t be strange to be fly around in aircraft that are almost entirely 3D printed . The sky may not be the limit for much longer : the next Ariane 6 rocket belonging to the European Space Agency , localize to set up in 2020 , will feature several 3D - printed constituent .
