This aircraft would be impossible to machine cost-effectively without 3D printing.
3D printing gives manufacturers the power to create parts
that cannot be built cost-effectively with other processes. In this video, Mark
Kirby, manager of additive manufacturing at Renishaw Canada, shows off a special
project for a North American aerospace customer: the Firefly, a 3D printed titanium rocket-powered
drone that can fly at nearly supersonic speeds, with onboard telemetry and a
spring-released wing.
Watch the video to see why additive manufacturing techniques
were the best choice for this one-of-a-kind vehicle.
As Kirby described it, in the unmanned aircraft space, if
you plot speed vs. weight, then the lower left corner is where you’ll find
small quadcopter drones; the upper right, ballistic missiles. But the upper
left corner, very low weight with extreme speed, is empty. This device, when it
becomes operational, will truly be one of a kind.
According to Kirby, one possible application of Firefly could
be launching a sensor-laden model into a hurricane to collect data. Due to Firefly’s low weight and compact form factor, perhaps the drone could even be
launched from a Mars rover to survey long distances.
What other applications can you think of for a device that resembles
a titanium hoagie travelling 600 miles per hour? Let us know in the comments
below.
