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Tuesday, November 29, 2016 12:08:22 PM
Manufacturers Take a Page From Mother Nature (WSJ)
Manufacturers Take a Page From Mother Nature - Nov. 29, 2016
The introduction:
Advances in computing power, 3-D printing allow designers to save weight, cut waste with biological forms
By Daniel Michaels
BREMEN, Germany—When designers at Airbus Group SE and Autodesk Inc. sat down to re-engineer a divider for jetliner cabins, they found inspiration at low altitude: slime molds and animal bones.
The European aviation giant wanted a lighter, 3-D-printed version of a partition mounted to a curved cabin wall that supports fold-down seats for flight attendants. The efficient way simple slime molds spread to seek food in forests and other places inspired designers, who eventually created a complex lattice of more than 60,000 tiny metal bars using a structure based on mammal bones.
“It turned out it was a good way to solve the problem, even if you couldn’t care less about biology,” said David Benjamin, who led the Autodesk team. The final wall structure weighs about 80 pounds, less than half the partition it will replace. Airbus now is getting it certified for commercial use.
Leaps forward in computing power, imaging and 3-D-printing technology are allowing engineers like never before to develop bionics, also known as biomimetics, from the Greek for “mimicking life.” In particular, additive manufacturing with metal alloys—3-D metal printing—enables an array of products to be built the way trees and bones grow: cell by cell, with minimal waste.
The combination of computing and 3-D printing “gives an exponential effect,” said Mr. Benjamin.
Big manufacturers including Airbus, Boeing Co., General Electric Co., Daimler AG and Siemens AG are already printing metal parts, many with forms inspired by nature. The number of 3-D metal printing systems sold world-wide surged to 808 units last year from 125 in 2009, according to Wohlers Report 2016, an industry yearbook. Sales of the metals used in the systems rose to $88 million last year from $12 million in 2009, the report said.
Manufacturers Take a Page From Mother Nature - Nov. 29, 2016
The introduction:
Advances in computing power, 3-D printing allow designers to save weight, cut waste with biological forms
By Daniel Michaels
BREMEN, Germany—When designers at Airbus Group SE and Autodesk Inc. sat down to re-engineer a divider for jetliner cabins, they found inspiration at low altitude: slime molds and animal bones.
The European aviation giant wanted a lighter, 3-D-printed version of a partition mounted to a curved cabin wall that supports fold-down seats for flight attendants. The efficient way simple slime molds spread to seek food in forests and other places inspired designers, who eventually created a complex lattice of more than 60,000 tiny metal bars using a structure based on mammal bones.
“It turned out it was a good way to solve the problem, even if you couldn’t care less about biology,” said David Benjamin, who led the Autodesk team. The final wall structure weighs about 80 pounds, less than half the partition it will replace. Airbus now is getting it certified for commercial use.
Leaps forward in computing power, imaging and 3-D-printing technology are allowing engineers like never before to develop bionics, also known as biomimetics, from the Greek for “mimicking life.” In particular, additive manufacturing with metal alloys—3-D metal printing—enables an array of products to be built the way trees and bones grow: cell by cell, with minimal waste.
The combination of computing and 3-D printing “gives an exponential effect,” said Mr. Benjamin.
Big manufacturers including Airbus, Boeing Co., General Electric Co., Daimler AG and Siemens AG are already printing metal parts, many with forms inspired by nature. The number of 3-D metal printing systems sold world-wide surged to 808 units last year from 125 in 2009, according to Wohlers Report 2016, an industry yearbook. Sales of the metals used in the systems rose to $88 million last year from $12 million in 2009, the report said.
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