3D printing commercial aircraft parts

3D Printing & Imaging
Ultem_3D_printing.jpg

Joris Peels, of i.materialise, sent us a link to this video of him demo’ing the strength and flame-retardant qualities of Ultem 9085, a 3D printing material made for use in aircraft parts. He melts the piece, eventually, but he really has to work at it.

One of the biggest problems with 3D printing materials is that they’re basically built to fail. Traditionally materials have been chosen specifically because they have low melting temperatures or are weak. 3D printing is now entering a phase whereby the parts used increasingly must be strong, robust and functional for use in the real world. Delicate prototypes still have a place but increasingly the market will have to cater to direct digital manufacturing whereby final parts are produced on demand. One material showing us where thing are headed is Ultem 9085. This material, made by Saudi firm Sabic, is made for use on Stratasys FDM machines.

3D printing commercial aircraft parts

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2 thoughts on “3D printing commercial aircraft parts

  1. MauiMaker says:

    Clip doesnt leave the torch on target very long. As soon as it starts to smoke and flame, it moves off to carbonize some other portion.
    How about a longer burn?
    How about some comparison burns?

    yes yes more burning nasty plastics!!

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Gareth Branwyn is a freelance writer and the former Editorial Director of Maker Media. He is the author or editor of over a dozen books on technology, DIY, and geek culture. He is currently a contributor to Boing Boing, Wink Books, and Wink Fun. His free weekly-ish maker tips newsletter can be found at garstipsandtools.com.

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