On 18/5/2025 Prof. R. K.Pant, renowned aerospace engineer of international repute and distinguished faculty member in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at IIT Bombay for the past 36 years held an informative session on “Applications of 3D Printing in Aerospace Engineering” for the students and staff of MAHSS.
3D printing, also known as Additive Manufacturing, despite being around for over 30 years since its invention by Chuck Hull, has seen remarkable advancements and has now become an integral part of various aspects of our daily lives like Motor Vehicles, Consumer Product, Medicine, Industries and Military with Aerospace being the 4th largest utiliser of 3D Printing.
3D printing is a fascinating technological advancement. The video shown by Dr. Pant showcasing the 3D-printed Shelby Cobra was truly eye-opening. It depicts the remarkable strides this technology has made in terms of energy efficiency and time optimisation.
3D Printing has a variety of advantages including weight reduction, accelerated part production, decrease in cost incurred over the lifetime of a part and reduction in complexity. It makes possible the realisation of complex designs through digital modelling. Dr. Pant mentioned that 3D Printing has taken humanity beyond the skies. Notable mentions include India’s own Agnikul Cosmos which launched India’s first 3D printed rocket and Terran 1 and Terran R by Relativity Space.
3D Printing allows us to overcome the challenges of transportation by organising virtual libraries of necessary parts. This would require us simply to transfer necessary parts digitally. Obsolescent parts, no longer being manufactured, can be sustained through digital recreation and rematerialised through 3D Printing.
The Aerospace sector uses 3D printing in a multitude of ways including Prototyping, Manufacture of functional parts, Custom jigs and fixtures, and Research and Development. Prof Pant explained that Aerial printing, drawing inspiration from nature’s wasps and bees through the use of scanning and printing drones, is an incredibly innovative technology. However, it still needs further development to enhance printing accuracy.
Nevertheless, it is not without its drawbacks. The phrase ‘garbage in, garbage out’ aptly applies to 3D printing. Errors stem from a machine’s limited accuracy or from user mistakes. However, these issues can be significantly reduced by simulating the printing process beforehand. Standardisation and Quality Control as well as safeguarding the ownership of intellectual property is required.
The session ended with thanking Prof. Pant for sharing his invaluable wisdom and time. The students expressed their gratitude to Mr.Vyankatesh Prabhudesai Sir, for organising such an enriching session and for the opportunity to engage with such a distinguished academician.
By
Joshua Dsa