一支美国海军陆战队3D团队为F-35 Stealth Fighter打印了一部分，为全新的起落架门节省了70,000美元的成本。
该组件是安装在门上的一小部分，将其压入闩锁。它是由海军陆战队从Combat Logistics Battalion 31(CLB-31) in Carderock, Maryland.
Sam Pratt, a mechanical engineer at the Carderock’s Additive Manufacturing Project Office, provided further technical assistance to the team.
“您无法与起落架门分开购买该件，费用为70,000美元。通过具有在现场打印的功能，我们能够复制零件的成本约为9美分。”
3D打印F-35起落架
Tasked to train CLB-31 Marines in design and application of 3D printed parts, Pratt was asked by the officers of CLB-31 to help the Marines make a grounded F-35 functional again.
当普拉特（Pratt）到达实验室时，海军陆战队已经打印了3D，但是遇到了尺寸的问题。海军陆战队设计了Blender的零件，这是一种设计软件，主要用于游戏和电影特殊效果。根据普拉特（Pratt）的说法，搅拌机不是准确的测量或工程工作的理想选择，因此在安装之前需要进行进一步的修改。
The replacement part was made with a hobbyist-oriented 3D printer and PETG filament for high strength and durability.
美国陆军的3D打印政策
Currently, in the U.S. Army, there are set guidelines and instructions to 3D print new parts of on-ground vehicles. Each new 3D printed part is approved by theMarine Systems Command（MSC）。
However, 3D printing aircraft parts is a more a complicated task. As Pratt explains, “Aircrafts by nature are a lot more restrictive. There are airworthiness concerns, so when trying to print a part, you really have to know that the part is good so you don’t put your pilots and flight crews in danger.”
Regarding the use of 3D printing in the U.S Army, Pratt further explained: “We will see additive manufacturing used more often to make replacement parts […] there are already about 85-90 parts currently approved to print for ground vehicles, so it is as easy as going online, downloading the file and printing the part.”
3D打印飞机零件
美国空军一直使用3D打印作为制造飞机零件和原型的成本和时间效率的方法。自2015年以来Tinker Air Base, Oklahoma已经采用了3D打印来为飞机提供零件并促进维修操作。
最近的发展包括空军研究实验室(AFRL) andHRL实验室合作伙伴关系进一步研究3D印刷陶瓷供hypersonic flight vehicles.
Last month, United States’Hill Air Force Base，犹他州，宣布将安装3D打印机生产F-35的备件. It is hoped that the project will be cost and design efficient method to manufacture aircraft parts.
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特色图片显示洛克希德·马丁F-35 Lightning II。通过美国空军的照片
