China commercializes 3D printing in aviation

cir

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China commercializes 3D printing in aviation

Summary: China looks to lower the cost of 3D printing and make large titanium components to build the next-gen fighter jet and self-developed passenger plane.

By Liu Jiayi for View from China | February 18, 2013 -- 02:45 GMT (18:45 PST)

By using laser additive manufactured titanium parts in its aviation industry, China is looking to become a global leader in commercializing 3D printing technology.

The laser additive manufacturing technology not only lowers the cost of titanium parts to only 5 percent of the original, it also reduces the weight of the components and enhances the strength of complicated parts.

As much as 40 percent of the weight can be reduced if the forged titanium parts on an American F-22 were made using the Chinese 3D printing technology, according to a a report on Chinese Web site, Guancha Zhe.

With funding from the government, especially from the military, the Chinese aviation laser technology team is making headways in making titanium parts for the country's fifth generation of fighter jets, the J-20 and J-31, by lowering the cost and raising the jets' thrust-weight ratio.

The Northwestern Polytechnical University of China is also making five meter-long titanium wing beams for the C919 passenger plane, which is scheduled to be put into commercial operation in 2016.

"As the aviation technology develops, the components are also getting lighter, more complicated, and also need to have better mechanical properties," said Huang Weidong, director of the university's laboratory, to a local newspaper. "It is very hard to use traditional technologies to make such parts, but 3D printing could just meet such demands."


This 5-meter-long titanium beam was made in a Chinese university lab. (Source: Guancha Zhe)

China commercializes 3D printing in aviation | ZDNet
 

sob

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3 D printing is the technology of the future and will be the game changer on many fronts.

3D printing[1] is a process of making a three-dimensional solid object of virtually any shape from a digital model. 3D printing is achieved using an additive process, where successive layers of material are laid down in different shapes.[2] 3D printing is considered distinct from traditional machining techniques, which mostly rely on the removal of material by methods such as cutting or drilling (subtractive processes).

To perform a print, the machine reads the design and lays down successive layers of liquid, powder, or sheet material to build the model from a series of cross sections. These layers, which correspond to the virtual cross sections from the CAD model, are joined together or automatically fused to create the final shape. The primary advantage of this technique is its ability to create almost any shape or geometric feature.
3D printing - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 

sob

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Like all things the US where the technology was first developed is fast deploying this on the battlefield in Afganistan.

Soldiers are not always prepared for what the battlefield throws at them. That's why the Army's Rapid Equipping Force exists. They make sure that soldiers are prepared for anything they will encounter. The team of engineers that make up REF were already fast, but the latest innovation involving 3D printers makes them even faster.

The military is deploying what they call the Expeditionary Lab – Mobile to locations in Afghanistan. The lab is a simple 20 feet long shipping container that's packed with the latest technologies including a 3D printer, industrial CNC machine, plasma cutters and more.

The tools inside the lab let the engineers make new parts for guns and other equipment on the spot in Afghanistan instead of having to ship the new equipment from overseas. It reduces the cost of shipping, but also means that soldiers will get immediate access to potential life saving equipment.

What's interesting is the use of 3D printers and CNC machines. These technologies can crank out custom made parts for guns, armor and other equipment that soldiers will need on the field. It's already been proven that 3D printers can make parts for a gun so we might start seeing the proliferation of plastic weapons on the battlefield.

There is currently only one lab deployed in Southern Afghanistan, but the military is planning on deploying a second to the Eastern part of the nation in the fall. They will also be keeping one in the states for natural disaster support.
The Army Is Deploying 3D Printers To Afghanistan | WebProNews

The F-18 fighter jet, for example, has 90 parts that are 3-D printed and can be placed directly on the plane, according to Jim Williams, general manager of on-demand aerospace manufacturing for 3D Systems, which has supplied the government with 3-D technologies and applications.
http://blog.paramountind.com/2012/09/3d-printers-in-military-use.html
 
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sob

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@cir, sorry to have gone offtopic on this, but I felt that I should share some info on this with the others.

This piece of news just shows that China is investing money in the right places and in the near future we will see path breaking technology coming out of China. The massive investments will pay off.

Now we need a similar approach by our Government. We cannot afford to be left behind in the race for technology.
 
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satish007

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[MENTION=7580]We cannot afford to be left behind in the race for technology.
it is not use for you guys, it is for chinese cheap copy. simply take a photo and copy next day.
 

cir

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In China the most famous guy in the field of 3D printing is of course Prof Wang Huaming from Beihang University(formerly known as Beijing University of Areonautics and Astronautics)。He and his team have successfully made 3D-printed titanium structures and components for use in 5th gen fighters、civilian airplanes and advanced turbofan engines。
 

sob

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it is not use for you guys, it is for chinese cheap copy. simply take a photo and copy next day.
this is high technology stuff. I understand your pun, but on a serious note with this technology patented products will be in danger.
 

cir

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China's 3D Printing: Not a Revolution – Yet

Manufacturing may never be the same now that 3D printing systems are winning awards and making money

By staff reporter Yu Dawei



(Beijing) -- Engineers, inventors and industrial futurists in China are setting sights on a new technological frontier as three-dimensional printing slowly revolutionizes manufacturing.

A Beijing University research team, for example, has been working on what industry sources say is a breakthrough technology that uses 3D printing to produce large, complicated aircraft components.

The team led by materials science and engineering Professor Wang Huaming in January won a national award from the State Council for technological achievement.

The recognition for Wang's team and its work has encouraged companies in 3D printing-related businesses. Many have seen their stock prices surge to new highs in recent months.

Like a skilled sculptor, a 3D printing system can build through a materials-layering process a fully shaped and solid object, model or component based on a designer's computerized instructions.

Theoretically, this type of system could be used to build a plane, car or even a human organ. Some forecasters predict 3D printers will be making home-cooked meals by 2020.

In reality, though, the systems have limited applications. Wang said that for now the technology can only supplement traditional manufacturing.

"It's too early to say" whether it will usher in a revolution for manufacturing, said Wang.

Printing Objects

The technology for 3D printing first appeared in the United States in the 1980s when Charles Hull invented digital computer equipment that could be used to make models with synthetic resins. He called the process "stereolithography."

Based on Hull's work, scientists later developed techniques called Fused Deposition Modeling and Selective Laser Sintering for wider applications. Then in 1993, Massachusetts Institute of Technology professors Michael Cima and Emanuel Sachs patented a practical 3D printing system.

That set off a worldwide race to commercialize 3D printing technology, leading to a variety of creative applications. As a result, the process has been used in Britain to make special footwear for soccer players and in Belgium to craft a replacement for a woman's jaw.

Last year, according to 3D authoring solution provider 3D Systems Corp., the U.S. Air Force invested US$ 2.95 million in the company on 3D printing procedures for aircraft components and weapons systems.

Chinese engineers started exploring the potential for 3D printing in the late 1980s, after U.S. technology was introduced to China by Yan Yongnian, a mechanical engineering professor at Tsinghua University.

Yan said his first exposure to the technology came in 1988 when, during a visit to the United States, he heard about Hull's research. He and a colleague later bought some equipment from Hull's company and brought U.S. scholars in the field to China to give lectures.

China now has four major research bases for 3D printing technology, Yan said. They include Tsinghua, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, and a Beijing-based company called Beijing Longyuan Industrial Stock Co. Moreover, each university has started a business geared toward profiting from 3D printing.

The achievement that won an award for Wang and his team is a technique called Laser Engineered Net Shaping (LENS) for manufacturing high-density, metallic components. Their work led to the 2010 production of a wing part for the Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China's C919 jetliner, for a 90 percent cost savings over traditional manufacturing methods.

Wang calls LENS revolutionary because it takes less time and costs less than standard modeling techniques. Moreover, this process could have an enormous and beneficial impact on business for manufacturers of heavy equipment, aircraft and engines.

Nevertheless, Yan said, 3D printing as a commercial manufacturing procedure has yet to really take off. Researchers are still working on the technique's stability, and hope someday it can be used for the kinds of repetitious tasks involved in mass production.

However, 3D printing is already suitable for producing military equipment such as missiles, said Cai Daosheng, a former general manager at Wuhan Binhu Mechanical & Electrical Co., which was established as a 3D printing company by Huazhong University of Science and Technology.

"We've had many military projects," said Cai.

China's 3D printing researchers are trying to catch up to counterparts in other countries, including the United States. One remaining hurdle has to do with the quality of materials used to build models and components.

China's research on materials "for 3D printing are much weaker," said Feng Tao, manager of Beijing Henglong. "Moreover, investments by companies and research institutes are small."

Satisfying 3D printing's material needs will require "long-term investment and a solid foundation" of research, Feng said.

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has been laying the groundwork for a long-term, national strategy for developing 3D printing technology. The ministry is preparing to draft relevant standards and regulations. It also plans to introduce tax incentives to encourage development of the new technology.

Immature Market

Proponents of 3D printing say the technology could change the entire structure of global manufacturing, making industry more reliant on computer technology than human labor. It might even revive manufacturing in Western countries.

A report by the U.S. Consumer Electronics Association predicted 3D printing system sales worldwide would rise to US$ 5 billion by 2017 from US$ 1.7 billion in 2011. The boom would be a response to auto, aerospace and medical industry demand, the report said.

Consumer goods and electronics manufacturers are the main buyers of 3D printing systems, accounting for 20 percent of total market share. Other buyers can be found in the auto, medical and dental supply fields.

About 49,000 3D printing systems were sold worldwide in 2011, according to a Wohlers Report analysis. Some two-thirds of these were made in the United States, followed by Europe and Israel. Chinese and Japanese manufacturers each could claim about 3.6 percent of the market, the report said.

China's largest maker of 3D printing systems, Beijing Tiertime Technology Co., handles only a few thousand dollars worth of business in this area every year. Its traditional operations, though, yield annual revenues in the tens of millions of yuan.

Material quality and operational accuracy issues prevent 3D printing from reaching its theoretical potential as a means to produce anything, said Guo Ge, Tiertime's general manager.

As a result, he says, China's 3D printing sector is still at the start-up stage and needs more time to mature.

"We're a long way from starting another industrial revolution," Guo said. "But if more improvements can be made in materials and operational capacity, manufacturing will be transformed."

Industrial component manufacturers would like to see that transformation sooner rather than later, since 3D printing has the capacity to make models quickly.

For now, though, Feng thinks traditional manufacturing through mass production "is still the most economic" way to produce components. The 3D printing process can only supplement tried and true methods.

Cai is upbeat about 3D printing's capacity for "green manufacturing," as it reduces raw material demand and waste.

And although Guo admits more time is needed to fine-tune 3D printing, the technique's acceptance may accelerate if engineers and researchers achieve more breakthroughs.

"No one imagined how fast computer science would grow when it first got started," said Guo.

Yan sees key applications for 3D printing in the bioscience sector that may far overshadow engineering uses. Creating human body parts and internal organs, he said, offers a more meaningful use for the technique than making metal parts.

Yan last year launched a company in Jiangsu Province that focuses on 3D printing systems for the bioscience sector. One of the company's systems has shown remarkable potential. "It's even produced a small piece of meat," he said.

China's 3D Printing: Not a Revolution – Yet -
 
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badguy2000

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I am sure that the last 3D printing tech has been applied to J20,J31 and Y20.
 

W.G.Ewald

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Weapons made with 3-D printers could test gun-control efforts - The Washington Post
Three-dimensional printers offer a potentially easy way around restrictions and registrations — a source of growing consternation among gun-control advocates and some allies in Congress.

"There's really no one controlling what you do in your own home," Lerol said.

Though printing guns is a craft still in its infancy — Lerol hasn't tested his parts yet at a gun range — technology experts, gun rights proponents and gun safety advocates say the specter of printable firearms and ammunition magazines poses a challenge for Obama and lawmakers as they craft sweeping gun-control legislation.
 

cir

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Indians are being left behind again and can only make cheap jokes to sooth their bloated egos。
 

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