Leading 3D printer manufacturer 3D Systems has taken another step forward in its medical portfolio through a partnership with non-profit organization OpHeart.

Based in Houston, Texas, OpHeart integrates additive manufacturing technologies to provide children born with life-threatening heart defects with the best medical treatment available. As part of this initiative, the company also operates a “Heart-in-Hand Pledge”, granting any requesting doctor or parent with a 3D printed model of their Coronary heart disease (CHD) patient’s heart before surgery, regardless of the family’s or hospital’s ability to pay. In this collaboration, 3D Systems is participating in OpHeart’s “Heart-in-Hand Pledge.”

Anne Garcia, Co-Founder and Executive Director, OpHeart stated:

“it is our hope that as more surgical teams work with opheart to employ 3d systems’ anatomical models in their chd surgeries, we will be able to definitively demonstrate what is common sense – providing doctors the ability to better prepare for complex surgeries makes a meaningful, measurable difference in the lives of these children.”

3D printed anatomical models

The American Heart Association recognizes CHD as the most common birth defect within the U.S. As a result of CHD, over 100,000 babies are in need of high-risk surgeries in order to survive.

After her own daughter was born with a life-threatening heart defect, Garcia co-founded OpHeart in 2015.

Over the past four years, 3D Systems has leveraged its 20 years of anatomical modeling expertise and medical workflow to help OpHeart produce accurate, detailed 3D printed models of CHD patients for a surgeon’s use. Garcia added:

“We fiercely believe that the ability to 3d print a replica of a chd patient’s heart is an invaluable tool that can, to put it bluntly, save lives.

“By giving surgeons the ability to practice and plan for complex surgeries that involve reconnecting vessels as thin as human hairs in hearts no larger than a strawberry, it only stands to reason that the quality of surgery improves. We want every child with a life-threatening heart defect to benefit from this technology.”

 

The Heart-in-Hand Pledge

3D Systems is largely contributing to the Heart-in-Hand Pledge by leading the creation of customised heart models. With the use of its D2P (DICOM to Print) software, the company’s team of expert biomedical engineers is converting MRI and CT scans data of a heart into a 3D model. Following this, the model is printed using ProJet CJP 660Pro ColorJet 3D printer and VisiJet materials. The models are then shipped worldwide.

As there is no insurance reimbursement for these tools, 3D System’s charitability intends to accelerate the Heart-in-Hand initiative in saving children’s lives. Garcia concluded, “Hopefully, they will become the standard of care, as insurance companies recognize their value and reimburse for their use.”

Source: 3Dprintingindustry.com

Do you want to use 3D printing? If your answer is “yes”, first you have to create a 3D model. To make a 3D model, you will have to use CAD software and/or 3D tools in order to make sure that your file is actually 3D printable. These programs will help you make the most of 3D printing and avoid some common errors that could make your file non-printable.

What are the most important tools to use while creating a 3D model for 3D printing?

Making your 3D model printable
3D and CAD software offer a wide range of 3D tools, allowing you to give life to all of your projects, from mechanical to architectural ones. But first, if you want to make the most of 3D printing, you will have to use the right tools to make your file 3D printable!

Preparing a 3D model for 3D printing can be difficult, especially if it is your first time and if you don’t know the best practices yet. There are a lot of aspects you need to take into account. There are a few basic errors leading to non-printable projects. Some of these tools could totally help you to avoid these problems.

You might be a really good designer and create nice 3D models, but are you able to spot all the errors that could make your file non-printable?

Some tools are particularly adapted for desktop 3D printers, while other ones are made for bigger printers, using powder-based fusion technology. Most of these tools are available for everyone. What tools will allow you to make printable models? Let’s discover them right now.

Tool 1: …Design!
Sculpting, modeling, painting tools. Design software will be your first tool if you want to create your project from scratch. All of these amazing features will help you to make the best 3D modeling object.

Tool 2: STL Editor
Modifying your 3D model can be essential. In what case would you need an STL editor? You might, one day, download an already-made 3D model. Indeed, a lot of libraries or marketplaces are available online. But what if you need to do a little modification on your file before 3D printing it, to adapt it to your needs?

Here, you might need an STL editor. You won’t need to 3D model a whole project but just edit an existing file. Some CAD software have great STL editing features that you could use, like SketchUp or Blender. But, you can also use mesh editing software like meshmixer, which might be great to edit your 3D project before the additive manufacturing process.

Tool 3: STL Analysis / STL Repair
You downloaded a nice 3D file or just finished 3D modeling your project and you are already sending it for 3D printing. It might be a big mistake, as some errors might be present in the design. Don’t know how to spot these errors by yourself? Don’t worry, you can use STL analysis and repair tools.

Tool 4: STL viewer
Using a free STL viewer is an excellent way to examine a model and you will not have to use any 3D modeling software. You can, for example, use ViewSTL or 3D-Tool Free Viewer. But there are also some CAD software offering great STL viewer features.
How are these STL viewers useful for your project? They are enabling you to check the structural integrity of your parts. Thanks to this tool, you could spot errors by yourself before the 3D printing, it will definitely ease your work.

Tool 5: Slicer
A slicer tool is a great tool for your 3D printing projects. Why can it be so important for your 3D printing project? Actually, the 3D printing slicer prepares your model for your 3D printer, by generating g-code. A slicer tool cuts the model into 2D layers and sends the instructions for how the printer should print each slice. You will only need this tool if you want to use a desktop 3D printer. But if you use an online 3D printing service, the process will be way easier for you and you will not even need a 3D slicer!
Tools 6: Avoiding distortion
Siemens PLM software recently announced the launch of an additive manufacturing process simulation tool. This new tool allows predicting distortion during 3D printing. This will optimize your 3D printing process. The feature anticipates of distortion and will be able to correct the geometry of the model in order to avoid the distortion during the 3D printing process.

Do you know more software tools which could be useful to create successful 3D prints? Share it with us!

If you are looking for a great way to 3D print your files, don’t hesitate to upload your 3D file on our online 3D printing service. You will get an instant quote and receive your part in a few days.

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Need a reason to buy a 3D printer for home use? Here are 7 of the most most solid reasons for buying a 3D printer for yourself.

Developments in the world of 3D printing continue to alter the world. They keep on bringing innovations with their seemingly limitless potentials. Businesses with large budgets used to be the only ones able to benefit from 3D printing, though, in nowadays the technology has brought affordable, easy-to-use, consumer-grade models to market.

A 3D printer can save you money

Your 3D printer can pay for itself by printing things that you normally used to buy. You can create almost everything from smartphone cases to paper towel holders, reducing household expenses while adding a personal touch to your home. You can print practically any every-day object including shower curtain rings and even safety razors.

You can extend the life of your furniture and appliances by creating extra parts using your 3D printer. This method will eliminate the hassle of trying to find the required parts and waiting for them to arrive and only if the manufacturer has them available. Make problems such as a broken knob for your stove go away by creating custom replacements.

Creating 3D objects on demand requires no additional machining or special tools, so you can create as many items as you desire with minimal effort. Making things instead of buying them can also save shipping and/ or transportation costs including fuel by reducing your number of shopping back and forths.

However, to be able to produce replacement parts and customized items you will have to use 3D modeling software. If you are new to 3D design you will have to learn how to use the software to design the items you would like to print. Numerous STL files of 3D models can be found online, but to print replacement parts for everyday objects, you will have to design them by yourself.

 

It could be a source of income

Instead of getting two jobs to make some extra money, you can buy a 3D printer and make it work for you. If you love the ways your printer can save money, you’ll love how it can supply you with a steady stream of income.

You can earn money by processing 3D print jobs for people who place online orders. Spend some time developing your printing skills and then enroll in an online printing service such as 3Dhubs to gain instant access to profitable print jobs. Your 3D printer also gives you a chance to create and sell designs or products or start teaching 3D printing classes.

You should keep in mind that, even though the prices of 3D printers have come down significantly, producing high-quality items will require you to buy a more expensive 3D printer. More affordable printers are not consistent in quality and often result in low-quality items.

In advance, you should also consider the time and the effort that it would take to design the items, print them and, if necessary, post-process them. Then see whether you could actually profit from selling customized 3D items.

 

New form of educating your kids

Using 3D printers can add a new dimension to learning that will engage your kids by making education fun and interesting. There are numerous items that can be printed in order to make learning appealing to your children and help them with hands-on learning.

You can print educational models that illustrate concepts such as atoms or planets. You can also print puzzles and other tools that build problem-solving skills in kids. During homeschooling or homework sessions creating 3D objects can empower children to easily grasp abstract concepts.

Using your 3D printer for education will stimulate curiosity and inspire additional learning. It can help enhance your kid’s creativity and knowledge. Older kids can even design their own items and you can help them come up with innovative ideas.

When working with 3D printers, especially with children around, you should make sure that both you and your kids understand and follow safety guidelines. You should always keep in mind that 3D printers work at extremely high temperatures and your children might be tempted to touch the interior parts of the printer or the printed items before they cool down. That is why it is extremely important not to leave the 3D printer unattended and supervise your children while working with the 3D printer.  Make sure they know that the plastic filament that drips out of the nozzle can cause serious burns.

 

3D printers are fun!

If you don’t have any financial interest in 3D printing, it can become your hobby. With a 3D printer, you can create various fun objects or small works of art. Design your own unique items and display them in your home or give them to friends and family.

Take some time to shed your serious attitude toward 3D technology and just enjoy yourself. If you are totally a beginner take some time to learn the basics and then experiment with your printer to see all that you can do with it. Spend some of your free time tinkering with your 3D concepts and you’ll find numerous utilities for this technology.

While you are testing and having fun with your 3D printer, don’t forget that it is not a toy but a serious tool. 3D printing is not as easy as it sounds, actually, it can be very confusing. You will need to be educated on how the technology works so that you can handle any issues that might occur. For example, the nozzle can get clogged and you will need to know how to unclog it so as to put the printer back to work.

 

Create Accessories and Personalized Gifts

Why buy a mass produced flower vase from the shelf for mother’s day when you can design and 3D print a unique piece? Buying a 3D printer will empower you to create items with an unprecedented degree of personalization. You can download and modify existing designs. Or if you have the know-how, you can design 3D objects from scratch!

3D Printing is Quicker than Ordering

You quickly need to replace the door handle, but the manufacturer takes two weeks to deliver? One of the greatest benefits of having a 3D printer at home is the speed with which you can put the desired item to use. To be sure, standing front of your 3D printer and watching your object grow layer by layer may feel like a long time. But, if you compare the 2-4 hours a standard 3D object takes to print off with the time it takes to ship it across the country, this is next to nothing.

Though, 3D printing is not the answer for every situation. The speed of 3D printing depends on a number of variables: Apart from the object volume, you may want to achieve a high print resolution.

3D Printing Is the Technology of the Future
Learning how to design and print in 3D is a great way to prepare yourself and your family for the future. As the 3D printing technology evolves, βusiness and personal uses of 3D technology will transform every part of your world.

Buying a 3D printer and learning how to make the best of it will lead you to be a part of this technological revolution. However, there is still a lot that needs to be done in order for this technology to become prominent in people’s homes.

 

What’s the conclusion?

3D printing requires a certain level of knowledge, but you shouldn’t get stressed with the amount of time you need to become good at it. After going through the initial learning curve, you can build on your experience to develop more knowledge, skills, and creativity.

You’ll find yourself coming up with innovative ideas that can either revolutionize parts of your life or develop a business around the products you invent. Using your 3D printer at home will convince you of its limitless potentials. You can use it to enhance learning, create pastimes and prepare yourself to work and live in the world of tomorrow.

However, keep in mind that high-quality 3D printers can be expensive, 3D printing can be complex, it requires time and effort and the technology requires lots of development. Think about all the advantages and disadvantages before you decide on buying one for your home.

3D printing has been grasped by many manufacturing organizations as a cost cutting measure, however, the money related investment funds likewise convert into a more manageable economy. Merchandise that used to be sent over the world would now be able to be 3D printed locally by the consumers, setting aside some cash as well as lessening fuel emissions.

Another advantage of 3D printing at home is that your parts will just utilize the measure of material really required. Traditionally manufactured injection molding parts create a ton of waste. In case that a 3D print fails, you can even reuse the as of now 3D printed material utilizing a filament recycler that first shreds the part into small strands of plastic and afterwards dissolves it into a brand new spool of filament! Another methodology is recently created 3D printing filaments produced using basic waste plastics offered by a few organizations (and it would be ideal if you reuse filaments whenever possible).

In spite of these advantages, there are sure things to remember that make 3D printing at home really sustainable. For example, a few thermoplastics utilized in FDM 3D printing like ABS emit vapors destructive to the air. Additionally, ABS isn’t bio-degradable. Environmentally friendly options in contrast to ABS are as of now available and new ones right now are being developed. Why not fulfill your interest and 3D print utilizing exotic filaments like hemp, beer or coffee?

While there are still unsolved issues, 3D printing can possibly be a piece of the answer for some environmental difficulties on a worldwide scale. Whenever done right, purchasing a 3D printing for your home can be a humble commitment to these efforts.

Additive Manufacturing is becoming commonly used in many industries and aerospace is no different.

Why Airbus does it choose 3D printing?

As we already know Airbus has been putting resources into Additive Manufacturing advancements. The organization benefits from it with totally new structure opportunity, taking allowing for innovative production solutions that the industry hasn’t seen previously. So, what is so beneficial about 3D printed parts?

3D printed parts are vigorous, sometimes more grounded than the ones produced with conventional techniques; make less material waste; bring the production costs down; and what most essential in the airplane business – they are lightweight. The lighter the plane, the less fuel it needs, again benefiting the organization by diminishing the expenses. 3D printing conveys the lower cost to production while providing the client with superb weight to quality proportion of the 3D printed parts.

Not just that, when the subcontractor for assembling a plastic seat part was no longer  accessible, Airbus swung to Additive Manufacturing to search for a response to that issue. The most productive solution came with 3D printing. They could redesign the part and rapidly 3D print it. This implies no more subcontractors, tedious delivery, and autonomy from pausing and requesting spare parts-they can be produced when required, in-house.

What is the next step for Airbus?

Airbus keeps on putting resources into the Additive Manufacturing innovations for large scale manufacturing. What’s more, as of January 2019, fresh out of the box new 3D printed brackets will be delivered to be introduced in the first airplane! Airbus is closely working with GE Additive and GE Aviation which recently announced the 3D printed engine parts have been affirmed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

The 3D printed engine parts are called Power Door Opening System (PDOS) brackets. They have a key role in the architecture of the engine. They are utilized for upkeep of the engine on the ground, which the planes need to go through frequently to guarantee that the security of the travelers is kept to the highest standards. The brackets open and close the fan cowl door. At present, these parts are created with a strong block of metal and delivered about half of waste. By what method can 3D printing help?

Utilizing Additive Manufacturing to deliver 3D printed engine brackets brought about 90% less waste and 10% lighter structure! The parts will be introduced in GE Aviation’s GEnx-28 engines, utilized in the Boeing 747-8. It’s an engine like no other-as indicated by GE, it’s the most trusted one by the industry, resulting in being the fastest-selling as well. 3D printing has been an outright distinct advantage for Airbus giving them lightweight, yet solid 3D printed parts.

New 3D printed engine brackets are created with Direct Metal Laser Melting (DMLM). The procedure is more or less the same as DMLS, which is a metal 3D printing innovation, based of powder being sintered locally with a laser beam, layer by layer. However, DMLS doesn’t completely melt the powder, while DMLM metal 3D printing technology does. The material being referred to is cobalt-chrome. GE chose to continue utilizing it rather than the conventional nickel-based superalloy.

This change permits quicker and more effective production as with Additive Manufacturing GE an entire aircraft’s worth of brackets in just one build. This implies printing jobs will create various articles, rapidly fabricating extra parts when required.

Have you invested in Additive Manufacturing yet?

As should be obvious by now, large scale manufacturing of 3D printed engine parts is no more a fantasy, it’s a reality. The brackets are an ideal case of how far Additive Manufacturing has developed and the way that they have met the FAA’s thorough confinements demonstrates that 3D printing has achieved the most abnormal amount of engineering capability. Additive Manufacturing diminishes production costs, changes old and heavy parts with robust, lightweight, nd more efficiently redesigned ones, the advantages of 3D printing are endless.

Try not to hold up until the point when your competitors begin utilizing Additive Manufacturing, get your hands on it now! In case that you have no involvement with 3D printing, don’t stress, our Design Studio is here to help. Also, on the off chance that you as of now have your CAD records arranged, just transfer them to our 3D printing on the web benefit.

Don’t wait until your competitors start using Additive Manufacturing, get your hands on it now! And if you’ve already prepared your files, you just send us to start production

Με 3D εκτύπωση γίνονται τα μανιτάρια βιονικά για την παραγωγή ηλεκτρισμού!

In the quest to replace fossil fuels, scientists are always on the lookout for alternative, environmentally friendly sources of energy. But who could have imagined a bionic mushroom that produces electricity? It sounds like something straight out of Alice in Wonderland, but researchers have now generated mushrooms patterned with energy-producing bacteria and an electrode network. They report their results in the ACS journalNano Letters.

Many examples of organisms that live closely together and interact with each other exist in nature. In some cases, this symbiotic relationship is mutually beneficial. A team of researchers led by Manu Mannoor and Sudeep Joshi from Stevens Institute of Technology wanted to engineer an artificial symbiosis between button mushrooms and cyanobacteria. In their scenario, the mushroom would provide shelter, moisture and nutrients, while bacteria 3D-printed on the mushroom’s cap would supply energy by photosynthesis. Graphene nanoribbons printed alongside the bacteria could capture electrons released by the microbes during photosynthesis, producing bio-electricity.

To make their bionic mushroom a reality, the researchers first 3D printed an electronic ink containing graphene nanoribbons onto the cap of a living mushroom in a branched pattern. They then printed a bio-ink containing cyanobacteria onto the cap in a spiral pattern, which intersected with the electronic ink at multiple points. At these sites, electrons could transfer through the outer membranes of the bacteria to the conductive network of graphene nanoribbons. Shining a light on the mushroom activated cyanobacterial photosynthesis, generating a current of about 65 nanoAmps. Although this current is insufficient to power an electronic device, the researchers say that an array of bionic mushrooms could generate enough current to light up an LED. The researchers are now working on ways to generate higher currents using this system. They say that this 3D-printing approach could be used to organize other bacterial species in complex arrangements to perform useful functions, such as bioluminescence.

Source: acs.org

Who really uses 3D printing and why?

Many modern professionals take advantage of using 3D printing on a permanent basis. The technology is constantly evolving, together with the number of industries in which 3D printing is used. So, let’s explore how the applicability of this technology has expanded in certain professions by today and try to answer the question about who really uses 3D printing today.

 

Product Design
Fashion category is a relative newcomer to the commercial application of 3D printing besides prototyping products for advertising purposes. A striking example of the progress is Zante Generate, a running shoe featuring full-length thermoplastic midsole of unprecedented performance and incredible flexibility. New Balance’s product designers have used the selective laser sintering technology combined with specifically developed new powder material created in collaboration with 3D Systems.

In contrast to the market giants, the smaller companies tend to offer fashion designers the appropriate universal desktop solutions for creative work such as ZMorph multitool 3D printer already being in use by fashion, shoe, and even jewelry designers.

In electronics, nobody would be surprised with printed quadcopter parts. But engineers now can have personal 3D printing factories at their disposals! The issue was addressed by VOXEL8 that was mentioned in MIT Technology review as “one of the 50 smartest companies of 2015”. Their dedicated all-in-one 3D printer allows any developer to design and prototype next-generation 3D electronics using cloud software, innovative conductive silver ink, as well as fused deposition modeling, and pneumatic direct write technologies with 200 microns layer resolution.

 

Environmental Engineering & Architecture

Ecological engineers, as well as civil constructors, are on the verge of the most important and timely use of mobile 3D printing solutions. A bright example is the Field Ready humanitarian organization. Right after the earthquake, two engineers used their Land Rover as a standing platform and a charger to a small desktop 3D printer which was printing a plastic fitting for local pipes. The problem seems to be not so serious, but that day only two men helped to bring water to the whole village in just 15 minutes.

The progress of civil construction through 3D printing becomes more obvious with such projects as WinSun’s giant villa which was almost entirely printed by an almost 7 meters tall printer. The architects were able to create a fantastic geometry thanks to the possibilities of giant printing units and the concrete ink consisting completely of recycled materials that needed only 24 hours to dry.

Architects can also use 3D printing technology for the creating accurate dioramas of entire cities and neighborhoods in matters of hours. In the past, such visualizations could take months to complete!. For example, all architectural modeling processes in LGM company are currently based on 3D modeling and CAD resources, starting from composite concept models and ending with full-color terrain models.

 

Medical industry

The future of high-dose medications takes a rapidly disintegrating form with ZipDose technology developed by Aprecia’s pharmacists. The precise powder-liquid three-dimensional layering allows creating the unique bonds system that masks the taste, simplify drugs administration, and enables prescribing individual dosages to patients.

 

In Brazil, a team of doctors has printed the silicone prosthesis of the part of the man’s face ingested by cancer. They used Autodesk’s 123D Catch photogrammetry app and a standard desktop 3D printer just like a student from Poland who has built a rehabilitation orthosis.

Axial3D is the revolutionary pre-surgery diagnostic scanning platform developed by two physicians from Belgium. It analyses the data received from CT and MRI scans of patients and creates a three-dimensional model that can be quickly 3D printed.

 

Automotive Industry

Have you ever dreamed that someday you’ll be able to make not only car parts but the whole car using a 3D printer? Well, the creators of STRATI just have translated these dreams into reality and it symbolically took place in Detroit!

The world’s first printed car was described by Local Motors CEO as “a small electric two-seater”. Its actual significance for the car industry lies in the extreme low-cost technology and fully recyclable materials used such as carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic. The whole structure takes only 44 hours to print and leaves no waste products. Of course, the engineers didn’t yet move the stuffing of the car to plastic so the electric components such as motor, battery, and powertrain were not printed.

Companies like Ford, Volvo, and BMW really uses 3D printing for rapid prototyping, experimental parts, and creating jigs and fixtures for manufacturing. Mercedes-Benz which is currently pioneering this niche among other truck producers, and makes more than 100 000 printed prototypes each year. They also provide their clients with unique spare parts even if their cars are no longer produced. The parts available online include high-quality plastic covers, spacers, spring caps, air and cable ducts, clamps, mountings and control elements.

 

Food Industry

Chefs and restaurateurs are just fans of such novelties like Foodini. This compact machine can create a fresh and healthy dish in the fastest and most incredible way. Foodini is an innovation that could be used just like a microwave in the next five years. Natural Machines engineers provided it with an open capsule model that makes this appliance even more convenient and multipurpose than competitors’ devices.

 

Music Industry

Musicians around the world suddenly really uses 3D printing as a cheap way to get high-quality original instruments. Among the most extraordinary, we should point out a metal saxophone printed by enthusiast Olaf Diegel after his previous experiments with Duraform nylon guitar and drum set. The new instrument was printed using ITRI’s Optical Engine technology and a titanium alloy powder. The basis of this technology is individual hardness variability of various sections of a solid alloy, as well as high precision printing (up to 50 μm).

 

Artists

Instead of listing a bunch of 3D printed drums, violins, cellos, guitars, and even restored vinyl records along with playing music servomotors, let’s check other applications of 3D printing in a wider array of arts. Mark Wilson’ latest work borders with a creation of a new life. The Chromatose is not only a masterpiece but also a responsive living synthetic organism! Such novelties as varying color and rigidity as well as the resolution of just 16 micron (!) became possible due to the latest 3D printing technology innovations.

A legend of modern abstract sculpture, Bruce Beasley, used Autodesk to create and then print his latest Coriolis series, which was printed with a large state-of-the-art industrial 3D printer using liquid plastic.

Interior designers are on the rise of using 3D printing in creating the decorative patterns. Like the elegant and stylish decorative tile made by Michail Georgiou and his students using ZMorph multitool 3D printer.

 

So, who really uses 3D printing and why?

Our list of who really uses 3D printing clearly shows that the technology has long passed the innovation stage. Professionals, both from large and small companies, artists, scientists, designers, engineers, and architects, choose this technology not only to try something new and different. They choose it because of less expensive non-waste production, simplified manufacturing processes, the possibility of using recyclable materials, simplicity and mobility, environmental friendliness, and unlimited shapes and sizes of products.

 

3D printing became a tool that enables creating things that were previously unimaginable. became a tool that enables creating things that were previously unimaginable.

 

Source: blog.zmorph3d.com

Το πρώτο αεροπλάνο που βγήκε από... 3D εκτυπωτή

The first 3D printed plane is making its debut, and nope, it’s not another one that’s been made in miniature by a hobbyist. And while it’s not full-scale, it’s certainly presenting a huge milestone to the world as a 13-foot flying drone. It’s also the perfect example of how a company like Airbus is able to use every benefit of 3D printing in creating what Airbus have named the aircraft Thor – which stands for ‘Test of High-tech Objectives in Reality.’

Thor is a windowless drone that weighs in at 46 pounds (21 kilograms) and is less than four metres (13 feet) in length.

Speaking at the International Aerospace Exhibition and Air Show, Detlev Konigorski, who was in charge of developing Thor, said: ‘This is a test of what’s possible with 3D printing technology.
‘We want to see if we can speed up the development process by using 3D printing not just for individual parts but for an entire system.’

Despite its model-like appearance, the small pilotless propeller aircraft is a first in aviation technology, and could give a glimpse into a future where 3D printing technology could save time, fuel and money.
The aircraft is completely 3D-printed, except the electrical elements, which are built from a substance called polyamide.
According to the plane’s chief engineer, Gunnar Haase, the plane ‘flies beautifully, and is very stable.’
Both Airbus, and their rival, Boeing, are using 3D printing to make parts for some of their planes, such as the A350 and B787 Dreamliner.is obviously just a stepping stone to their eventual fleet of futuristic 3D printed jets.

3D printing technology is fast evolving, with companies now producing objects ranging from castles to lawn mowers.
But until now, no one has been able to print a 3D airplane that flies.
Now, European aerospace company, Airbus, has created a mini-plane, named Thor, which is the world’s first 3D printed aircraft.

 

Source: dailymail.co.uk