UK's RAF Test Flies First Fighter Jet Tornado Using Parts Made With a 3D Printer

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Britain's Royal Air Force have for the first time test flown a tornado fighter jet using parts made with a 3D printer.

BAE Systems confirmed on Monday that some of the metal components used to build the metal bird on the sky were simple print outs using a 3D technology.

BAE test flew the Tornado aircraft from the defense firm's airfield at Warton in Lancashire last month.

Using 3D technology to produce parts will not only cut down production cost but also greatly reduce the maintenance cost of the machines.

RAF said on Monday that using 3D to produce parts will cut down maintenance and service bill by £1.2m over four years.
Britain's Home Office has confirmed it will not be ban 3D printers. Fears have been raised over consequences of using 3D technology, after in the US more than 100,000 plans for a plastic gun known were downloaded within hours.

BAE engineers have now started to produce the parts for four squadrons of Tornado GR4 aircraft at RAF Marham in Norfolk.

The breakthrough has ensured that some parts will cost less than £100.

In the UK, the technology had been restricted largely to design and technology classes but that there was "considerable potential for them to be used" for example to enable links to be made between mathematics, design and physics in a similar way to, for example, 'sound' enabling links between music, physics (wave properties), biology (hearing) and engineering (concert hall design)" has now been realised in UK.

A programme to bring futuristic 3D printers into state-school classrooms to boost the teaching of science, technology, engineering, maths (STEM) and design and technology is to be extended by Britain's education secretary Michael Gove.

3D printing is already an established industrial technology used for prototyping and manufacturing products and components across a range of industries.

But it is a new concept in schools and last year the department for education funded a project to allow 21 secondaries to trial the use of the printers in STEM and design and technology classes.

Following the success of that trial, Michael Gove is bringing the technology into more schools - setting up a £500,000 fund so up to 60 teaching schools can buy 3D printers and train teachers to use them effectively.

Michael Gove says "3D printers are revolutionizing manufacturing and it is vital that we start teaching the theory and practice in our schools. Teaching schools will be able to develop and spread effective methods to do this. Combined with our introduction of a computer science curriculum and teacher training, this will help our schools give pupils valuable skills. The extension of the 3D printer programme follows the success of trials in 21 schools which used them in lessons."

http://www.indiatimes.com/boyz-toyz/ships-and-planes/uks-raf-test-flies-first-fighter-jet-tornado-using-parts-made-with-a-3d-printer-121521.html

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From Wikipedia:

Additive manufacturing or 3D printing is a process of making a three-dimensional solid object of virtually any shape from a digital model. 3D printing is achieved using an additive process, where successive layers of material are laid down in different shapes.

http://www.theengineer.co.uk/in-depth/the-big-story/the-rise-of-additive-manufacturing/1002560.article

[flowers]

How big would this machine be?

[SPQR]

How big would this machine be?

From small portable ones to huge 3-D printing machines

[Oceander]

How big would this machine be?

You can get small ones from newegg.com, like this one for about $1,300:

Its dimensions are: 10" x 10" x 13" w/o cartridge.

Then there's this from zcorp, the ZPrinter 850, for :

Its dimensions are:  47 x 46 x 68 inches (119 x 116 x 162 cm).

And on up from there.

[flowers]

For the $1300.00 dollar one do you get the 'stuff' to make the product? I said 'stuff' for lack of knowledge on this subject    How much more does the 'stuff' cost? can you get the'stuff' anyplace? I am sure there are different kinds of stuff for what you are making??? 

[Oceander]

For the $1300.00 dollar one do you get the 'stuff' to make the product? I said 'stuff' for lack of knowledge on this subject    How much more does the 'stuff' cost? can you get the'stuff' anyplace? I am sure there are different kinds of stuff for what you are making??? 

The "stuff" is plastic, PLA Plastic and ABS Plastic, which come in cartridges.  The manufacturer's website for the printer sells cartridges and lists the following prices:

Single Cartridge $49.00

Pack of 3 Cartridges $139.00

Pack of 5 Cartridges $219.00

Pack of 7 Cartridges $308.00

[flowers]

The "stuff" is plastic, PLA Plastic and ABS Plastic, which come in cartridges.  The manufacturer's website for the printer sells cartridges and lists the following prices:

thank you for info.