Boeing creates largest 3D-printed piece in the world to help make wings

Boeing made news recently with the Oak Ridge National Laboratory for creating the world’s largest single 3D-printed object according to the Guinness Book of Records. The product, a “trim-and-drill” tool, will be used to help Boeing craft the wings of its new 777X aircraft.

The piece, printed in the ORNL lab in Tennessee measures 17.5 feet long, 5.5 feet wide and 1.5 feet tall.  

“The existing, more expensive metallic tooling option we currently use comes from a supplier and typically takes three months to manufacture using conventional techniques,” said Leo Christodoulou, Boeing’s director of structures and materials. “The 3D-printed equivalent, on the other hand, took just 30 hours to construct.”

Production of Boeing’s new 777X aircraft is scheduled to begin in 2017 with first delivery targeted for 2020.