Tried to send this a couple of days ago, but it bounced.

3D printing used to make repair parts to fix a plane, sort of.

http://www.navair.navy.mil/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.NavairNewsStory&id=5704

Remember that harrier that had to land vertically, due to a failed nose wheel?

(If you don't remember, there's a link to the video of the landing, in
the article...)

The 3D printer was used to create *forms* over which to press sheet metal.

The repair parts were the sheet metal bent over the forms in a press.

The handy part was that they were able to use the 3D printer to make
the forms  to use in the press to shape the metal, rather than having
to make the forms by hand.  The forms are probably one-use-only, but
so what?

 Dan

--
"Any sufficiently advanced parody is indistinguishable from a genuine
kook." -Alan Morgan