Abstract
Advances in materials, manufacturing and collaboration through open innovation will shape aerospace. Printing an aircraft or missile direct from your computer sounds far-fetched. In August, the University of Southampton in England announced it had flown the first 3-D printed unmanned air vehicle, which could be a precursor to the way we design and manufacture products in the future. A key to innovation is open access to disparate ideas and state-of-the-art tools. Gutenberg created the printing press by borrowing a mature technology, the winemaking press, from an entirely different field. His open access to a broad range of technologies enabled a whole new era in data dissemination. Similar initiatives are in the beginning stages with the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency's open manufacturing program and Energy Department energy efficient manufacturing initiatives. These will provide industries both large and small with access to manufacturing development and demonstration facilities for collaborative work on new materials and processes.
Original language | English |
---|---|
Pages | 59 |
Number of pages | 1 |
Volume | 173 |
No | 38 |
Specialist publication | Aviation Week and Space Technology (New York) |
State | Published - Oct 24 2011 |