3D printing is quickly gaining momentum as a viable alternative to traditional manufacturing techniques. Now, the long and complicated process of assembling a plane has been seemingly solved by a team of engineers at Southampton University.
The SULSA (Southampton University Laser Sintered Aircraft) is the first ever 3D printed aeroplane and has successfully made its maiden flight. The unmanned aerial vehicle's (UAV) whole structure has been printed, including the wings, integral control surfaces and access hatches.
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The aircraft, which has a 2 metre wingspan and can reach nearly 100mph, uses no fasteners to secure individual components. Instead, the plane is assembled using 'snap it' techniques so building the aircraft only takes a matter of minutes.
The 3D printing process uses laser sintering which allows the designer to create complex structures which are often costly in traditional manufacturing. This printing technique is also a lot more efficient than alternate composite manufacturing.
Jim Scanlon, one of the professors who led the project said: “The flexibility of the laser sintering process allows the design team to re-visit historical techniques and ideas that would have been prohibitively expensive using conventional manufacturing.”
Fellow professor Andy Keane added: “Another design benefit that laser sintering provides is the use of an elliptical wing platform. Aerodynamicists have, for decades, known that elliptical wings offer drag benefits. Laser sintering removes the manufacturing constraint associated with shape complexity and in the SULSA aircraft there is no cost penalty in using an elliptical shape.”
