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Airbus now "printing" parts for A350

Paul Heymont 5/10/157:00 AM

A350 being assembled at Toulouse, France

I'm going to start with the cranky part: it's NOT 3-D printing; it's 3-D fabrication, or technically FDM (fused deposition modeling).

Now that I've gotten past that part, here's the wonder: the technique is now being used to make strong, durable, less-expensive, lighter-weight parts faster...and they are made of a tough smoke- and flame-resistant resin.

The parts are being made by a subcontractor, Stratasys, and are going into the A350 XWB planes now coming off the Hamburg.

Photo: 3D fabricator Wikimedia / Zorro2212

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