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Additive manufacturing is transforming the way many types of products are designed and assembled. One industry that's benefitting the most is aerospace, which traditionally requires complex, low-volume components that must withstand rigorous operating conditions.
Aircraft wings have been assembled the
same way for decades. But, engineers at
the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
(MIT) and NASA have developed
a flexible aerostructure that is produced
from hundreds of tiny, identical pieces using
composite lattice-based cellular materials.
During the first five decades of commercial aviation, aircraft design changed dramatically. However, that hasn’t been the case over the last 50 years. Despite major developments in materials, the basic shape of commercial aircraft has remained relatively the same since the 1960s.
Carbon-fiber composite materials have been the darling of the aerospace industry in recent years. But, metal still plays a critical role in commercial and military aircraft, especially for applications that involve high temperatures or high stresses, such as engines and landing gear.
Ever since the Wright Brothers first took to the sky 115 years ago, powered flight has depended on propellers and other components. But, a team of aerospace engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have developed a silent, lightweight aircraft with no moving parts.
The key to Orville and Wilbur Wright’s historic 1903 flight was wing warping. Today, NASA engineers are developing a similar technique to increase the performance and efficiency of fixed-wing aircraft.
For the past decade, carbon-fiber composites have been the darling of the aerospace sector, receiving countless praise and widespread attention. Reinforced polymers have dramatically changed the way that many types of airframes are designed and built.
Boeing and its heritage companies, such as Douglas Aircraft Co., McDonnell Aircraft Corp. and North American Aviation Inc., have produced hundreds of different types of airplanes, helicopters, missiles, rockets, satellites, spacecraft and other flying objects over the last 10 decades.
Some Boeing aircraft never made it beyond the drawing board. But, their sleek lines inspired generations. In fact, some old designs still look futuristic today.
