Of course, a giant 3D-printed object like this requires a giant 3D printer, with Oak Ridge calling upon its Big Area Additive Manufacturing machine for the ambitious Boeing project.Ĭommenting on the new 3D-printed tool, Leo Christodoulou, Boeing’s director of structures and materials, said, “The existing, more expensive metallic tooling option we currently use comes from a supplier and typically takes three months to manufacture using conventional techniques.” The 3D-printed equivalent, on the other hand, took just 30 hours to construct.Ĭhristodoulou said additively manufactured tools, such as the 777X wing trim tool, “will save energy, time, labor and production cost and are part of our overall strategy to apply 3D-printing technology in key production areas.” Guinness World Records judge Michael Empric confirmed the record measurement of 82.4 cubic feet at a special ceremony at the Oak Ridge facility on Monday where he also presented certificates to representatives from both ORNL and Boeing. The tool was made with ABS thermoplastic composite materials and weighs around 1,650 pounds.

The result of a joint project between Boeing and the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in Tennessee, the record-breaking piece is 17.5 feet long, 5.5 feet wide, and 1.5 feet tall, and “comparable in length to a large sport utility vehicle,” the team said in a release.

3 d wings