The printed fuselage panel showing the rough printed surface on the left and the polished and painted surface on the right(Credit: Stelia Aerospace) Stelia Aerospace believes 3D printing has the potential to go large when it comes to aircraft construction. The French-based company has unveiled the first printed self-reinforcing fuselage panel in an effort to demonstrate the potential of additive manufacturing to deliver cheaper, lighter and more environmentally-friendly components.
Aerospace manufacturing is a complex, expensive, and time-consuming affair that involves a huge logistical army bringing together hundreds of thousands of parts, which all need to be fitted together just so if the final product is an aircraft safe to fly and not an overpriced hunk of scrap. Fuselages, for example, are often nothing but tubes of a thin-rolled aluminum alloy that couldn’t hold its shape against its own weight. For that reason, the hull of an aircraft is reinforced by a spider’s web of stiffeners that act as a supporting skeleton. This Berries and Cream Dutch Baby recipe is sure to find your sweet spot.
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