To reducing carbon emissions in aviation — with air traffic expected to double in the next 20 years — "the decisive issue is radical technical innovation in a relatively short time,” said Ralf Fuecks, head of the Heinrich Boell foundation think tank of the German Green Party."This is a test of what’s possible with 3D printing technology,” said Detlev Konigorski, who was in charge of developing Thor for Airbus, speaking at the International Aerospace Exhibition and Air Show at Berlin’s southern Schoenefeld airport.Yet to the European aerospace giant Airbus, the small pilotless propeller aircraft is a pioneer that offers a taste of things to come — an aviation future when 3D printing technology promises to save time, fuel and money.Faster & cheaperAirbus and its US rival Boeing are already using 3D printing, notably to make parts for their huge passenger jets the A350 and B787 Dreamliner.Source: www."With 3D printing, it has just three parts,” he told AFP.phys.

Windowless, weighing in at just 21 kilos (46 pounds) and less than four metres (13 feet) long, the drone Thor — short for "Test of High-tech Objectives in Reality” — resembles a large, white model airplane.Aside from the costs savings, 3D printing also promises ecological benefits as lighter jets use less fuel and spew out fewer pollutants."It brings big cost reductions on parts manufacturing,” said Alain Charmeau, head of Airbus Safran Launchers. The sky is not the limit for the technology — engineers also plan to use it in space."The printed pieces have the advantage of requiring no tools and that they can be made very quickly,” said Jens Henzler of Bavaria-based Hofmann Innovation Group, which specialises in the new technology.The future Ariane 6 rocket of European space agency ESA, set to blast off from 2020, is set to feature many printed pieces. The little plane "flies beautifully, it is very stable,” said its chief engineer Gunnar Haase, who conducted Thor’s inaugural flight last November near the northern German city of Hamburg.The metal parts produced can also be 30-50 percent lighter than in the past, and there is almost zero manufacturing waste, added Henzler, who is managing director for Hofmann industrial prototyping

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