3-D
printers are already being used to create machine parts and small toys,
but engineers have now used the technology to build an entire vehicle: a
plastic, unmanned airplane that actually flies.
The plane,
created by engineering students at the University of Virginia (U.Va.),
has a 6.5-foot wingspan, and was made from assembled printed parts.
![University University](http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/streams%5C2012/October/121020%5C1C4371180-3d-plane.streams_desktop_medium.jpeg)
University
of Virginia engineer David Sheffler and students Steven Easter and
Jonathan Turman pose with their 3-D printed plane.
The
team tested their creation during four flights in August and early
September at Milton Airfield near Keswick, Va. The aircraft, which is
only the third 3-D-printed plane known to have been built and flown,
achieved a cruising speed of 45 mph.
3-D printing is
already proving to be a valuable tool in teaching students, said David
Sheffler, an engineer at U.Va. who worked with students Steven Easter
and Jonathan Turman to create the aircraft.
“To
make a plastic turbofan engine to scale five years ago would have taken
two years, at a cost of about $250,000,” Sheffler said in a statement.
“But with 3-D printing we designed and built it in four months for about
$2,000. This opens up an arena of teaching that was not available
before. It allows us to train engineers for the real challenges they
will face in industry.”
— via University of Virginia
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