Feb.18, 2013
University of Virginia engineering student Steven Easter and his brother and lab partner, Jonathan Turman built an unmanned aerial vehicle, using 3D printing technology.
Their work got full support from Professor David Sheffler, a 20-year veteran in aerospace engineering. Between May and August the team has been working on designing and building a plane entirely from parts from a 3D printer. with a 6.5-foot wingspan and made of 3D printed parts.
There are seven 3D printers in the Engineering School's Rapid Prototyping Lab. These 3D printers allows students to design, modify and print the parts until they get exactly what they want.
Fariss Samarrai, Senior News Officer at U.Va. Media Relations, interviewed Sheffler and discussed about the future of 3D printing in industry and society.
Q: Currently 3-D printing is used for rapid prototyping of objects in small quantities. How would it be used in large-scale manufacturing, as President Obama seems to suggest?
Sheffler: Currently the technology is best suited to prototyping, production of geometries that otherwise could not be manufactured cost effectively – production runs of limited quantity – or for items that would benefit from custom tailoring. Advancements are needed to reduce manufacturing times in order to compete with more traditional processes such as injection molding for production quantities in the thousands. Once these hurdles are overcome, this technology has the potential to revolutionize the way we manufacture products.
Q: What is the future of this technology; will it become a routine way to manufacture?
Sheffler: Many have already started talking about the typical household having a 3D printer in the next five to 10 years. Products would be purchased online in the form of a downloaded file that would be printed out in the home. It might be possible eventually to print your own shoes after scanning your feet, or maybe printing your clothes. Some believe this technology stands about where personal computers were in the mid-1980s in terms of maturity. Most of the uses probably have not yet been conceived.
Q: Will the U.S. lead the way, or could this bring manufacturing to nearly anywhere?
Sheffler: Now that patents on the initial products in the industry are running out, many others are developing machines and advancing the technology. It's anyone's guess as to who might start to capture the market.
Q: What are the dangers of this, such as people printing weapons or drones?
Sheffler: As with any technology, there is the potential for good and harm to result. Weapons and drones used for killing and spying are dominating the media at this time. There are many more peaceful constructive uses for the technology, the potentials of which are only just being realized.
Q: What is U.Va. doing in 3D printing?
Sheffler: U.Va. has created a rapid prototyping center with funding from Rolls-Royce that includes seven 3D printers, among other capabilities. We are incorporating this technology into the curricula through courses like "Mechatronics" and "Jet Engine Manufacturing." We offer use of the center to students and also as a fee-based cost center for anyone throughout the world to submit a model on a dedicated Web page and we print the product and ship it to them.
本站所有文章版权归3ders.org所有，未经许可不得翻译或转载。
Posted in 3D Printing Technology
Maybe you also like:
- 3D printers & scanners overview and 10 predictions in 2013
- Rodney Brook on American manufacturing: localized production with robotics and 3D printing (video)
- Infographic: step-by-step guide for 3D printing with a RepRap
- President Obama called 3D Printing: "the potential to revolutionize" in State of the Union Address (video)
- Tutorial: Creating multi-color prints using a one-colour 3D printer
- Glenn Beck talks with Hod Lipson, author of "Fabricated The New World of 3D printing"
- Lenovo & DHL vision: 3D printing and customization to become the new norm in future
- Breakthrough: Scientists use 3D printer to produce stem cells
- New White Paper: So, What is the Deal with Copyright and 3D Printing?
- 'To mine asteroids' using MicroGravity Foundry 3D printer
3Ders.org provides the latest news about 3D printing technology and 3D printers. We are now seven years old and have around 1.5 million unique visitors per month.
