On Aug 17, 2014, at 5:28 PM, Grimmund <xxxxxx@gmail.com> wrote:

> Tried to send this a couple of days ago, but it bounced.
>
>
> 3D printing used to make repair parts to fix a plane, sort of.
>
>
> http://www.navair.navy.mil/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.NavairNewsStory&id=5704
>
> Remember that harrier that had to land vertically, due to a failed nose wheel?
>
> (If you don't remember, there's a link to the video of the landing, in
> the article...)
>
>
>
> The 3D printer was used to create *forms* over which to press sheet metal.
>
> The repair parts were the sheet metal bent over the forms in a press.
>
> The handy part was that they were able to use the 3D printer to make
> the forms  to use in the press to shape the metal, rather than having
> to make the forms by hand.  The forms are probably one-use-only, but
> so what?

Smart, note they’ve been using 3D printers for ’several years'. There’s also a thriving segment of the 3D printing world called ‘lost plastic casting’ <http://3dtopo.com/lostPLA/> to make metal parts via casting. That’s some amazing detail there on those parts.

Here’s a link to the landing on youtube, possibly faster to load than the one in that article <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIhefke0Q9Y>

--
Bruce Johnson
University of Arizona
College of Pharmacy
Information Technology Group

Institutions do not have opinions, merely customs