walker 0 Posted November 1, 2011 Hi all 3D printing technology is becoming cheaper and easier to use. It is allowing UAVs to be built and refined on the go, applying the successful Rapid Application Development environment of software development to the physical product industry. 3D printing: The world's first printed plane Updated 17:47 01 August 2011 by Paul Marks The promise of 3D printing has finally taken off with the development of a drone that takes just a week to create Under darkening skies on a grass airstrip in the UK's Wiltshire Downs, north of Stonehenge, I am watching half a dozen aeronautical engineers rushing to assemble an uncrewed aircraft before the weather takes a turn for the worse. They are hoping to show how 3D printing will revolutionise the economics of aircraft design – by flying the world's first fully "printed" plane. Led by Andy Keane and Jim Scanlan of the University of Southampton, the team believes that 3D printing will soon allow uncrewed aircraft known as drones or UAVs to go from the drawing board to flight in a matter of days. No longer, they say, will one design of UAV be repeatedly manufactured on a production line. Instead, designers will be able to fine-tune a UAV for each specific application – whether it be crop spraying, surveillance or infrared photography – and then print a bespoke plane on demand... http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn20737-3d-printing-the-worlds-first-printed-plane.html As always follow the link to the original text in full Car and aircraft companies already use 3D printing to produce car and aircraft parts, earlier this year a 3D printed bicycle was shown at the UK design fair. It is only a short time before we see whole cars being produced using this method. Kind Regards walker Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
walker 0 Posted November 1, 2011 (edited) Hi all Ooohh Errr! Missus Seems things things are more advanced than I thought, they are even thinking of printing food! Replicators here we come. http://www.futuristspeaker.com/2011/10/the-coming-food-printer-revolution/ Lol :rolleyes: Kind Regards walker Edited November 2, 2011 by walker Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
walker 0 Posted November 13, 2011 (edited) Hi all From our good friends at Ted a 3D printed kidney and Star Trek style wound regeneration machine: http://www.ted.com/talks/anthony_atala_printing_a_human_kidney.html The singularity is almost on us are you ready? Kind Regards walker Edited November 14, 2011 by walker Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rangerpl 13 Posted November 14, 2011 I heard about this stuff before, it's a nice concept but it will take some time before it becomes commonplace. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
