Metal 3D Printing, 

We will be flying on 3D Printed parts soon.

SLS (Selective Laser Sintering) we discussed yesterday is the most used method for Metal 3D Printing. Some expert call it Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS), the process is very similar. Why DMLS is used for metal 3D printing? The simple reason is, high temperature required to defuse metals can be achieved more efficiently by high power laser. This method has been very successful and some of the big player in the industry are keen to use this technology. Another method is called Selective Laser Melting (SLM) where metal powder is heated to melting point instead of defusing point.

GE is building Fuel nozzles for jet engines, Bloomberg News
General Electric (GE), on the hunt for ways to build more than 85,000 fuel nozzles for its new Leap jet engines, is making a big investment in 3D printing. Usually the nozzles are assembled from 20 different parts. Also known as additive manufacturing, 3D printing can create the units in one metal piece, through a successive layering of materials. The process is more efficient and can be used to create designs that can’t be made using traditional techniques, GE says. The finished product is stronger and lighter than those made on the assembly line and can withstand the extreme temperatures (up to 2,400F) inside an engine. There’s just one problem: Today’s industrial 3D printers don’t have enough capacity to handle GE’s production needs, which require faster, higher-quality output at a lower cost.

Fuel Nozzle for Jet Engine

Next Industrial Revolution Video

Refrences:
"Bloomberg News"
"GE Aviation"