Metal 3D Printing to Shape the Aerospace Industry

Feb. 27, 2017
3D printed parts are finding their way into the final engine designs in the aerospace industry.

Here is a look at the latest events shaping the future of aerospace manufacturing.

Billions of dollars in investments along with years of R&D in metal and composite 3D printing are beginning to pay off for the aerospace industry as 3D-printed engine parts pass their testing phase and become integrated into final designs. Collaboration between startups, larger companies, and 3D printing services has led to engines with fewer assembly parts, better fuel economies, and a shorter time to market. 

3D printing with metal has enabled several major breakthroughs in the aerospace industry this past year. Companies like General Electric and government organizations like NASA have invested in testing and developing new alloys that can be 3D printed to survive high speed, high heat environments, all while optimizing the engine's strength-to-weight ratio. Additive manufacturing (AM) can reduce scrap metal by up to 90% compared to subtractive manufacturing for better material costs. 

At the Industrial Design & Engineering show, Cullen Hilkene, CEO of 3Diligent, will speak about the future of metal 3D printing and its relevance to several industries. His presentation will cover major printing technologies for working with new materials. ID&E will take place in Cleveland, Ohio May 8-10 at the Huntington Convention Center of Cleveland.  Hilkene will give his speech on Tuesday, 05/09/2017: 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm as part of the Manufacturing Practices track. Don’t miss the early bird special, which expires March 6 with the code IDEEARLY.

About the Author

Leah Scully | Associate Content Producer

Leah Scully is a graduate of The College of New Jersey. She has a BS degree in Biomedical Engineering with a mechanical specialization.  Leah is responsible for Machine Design’s news items that cover industry trends, research, and applied science and engineering, along with product galleries. Visit her on Facebook, or view her profile on LinkedIn

Sponsored Recommendations

Drive systems for urban air mobility

March 18, 2025
The shift of some of our transport traffic from the road to the air through urban air mobility is one of the most exciting future fields in the aerospace industry.

Blazing the trail for flying robots

March 18, 2025
Eight Bachelor students built a flying manipulator that can hover in any orientation and grasp objects. The drone is even more maneuverable than a quadrocopter and was designed...

Reachy 2: The Open-Source Humanoid Robot Redefining Human-Machine Interaction

March 18, 2025
Reachy 2 was designed to adapt to a wide variety of uses thanks to its modular architecture.

maxon IDX: The plug-and-play solution

March 18, 2025
IDX drives combine power with small space requirements - a brushless BLDC motor combined with an EPOS4 positioning controller and a gearhead inside a high-quality industrial housing...

Voice your opinion!

To join the conversation, and become an exclusive member of Machine Design, create an account today!