N EWS


Meet the SULSA


seen on its launch pad, the sULsA– not a new south American dance – but the southampton University Laser sinteredAircraft, the world’s first ‘printed’ aircraft which flew recently.


UNIVERSITY ENGINEERS FLY THE WORLD’S FIRST ‘PRINTED’ PLANE


engineers at the University of southampton have designed and flown the world’s first ‘printed’ aircraft, which could revolutionise the economics of aircraft design. The SULSA(Southampton


University Laser SinteredAircraft) plane is an unmanned air vehicle (UAV) whose entire structure has been printed, including wings, integral control surfaces and access hatches. It was printed on an EOS EOSINT P730 nylon laser sintering machine, which fabricates plastic or metal objects, building up the item layer by layer. No fasteners were used and all


equipment was attached using ‘snap fit’ techniques so that the entire aircraft can be put together without tools in minutes. The electric-powered aircraft,


with a 2-metre wingspan, has a top speed of nearly 100 miles per hour,


but when in cruise mode is almost silent. The aircraft is also equipped with a miniature autopilot developed by DrMatt Bennett, one of the members of the team. Laser sintering allows the


designer to create shapes and structures that would normally involve costly traditional manufacturing techniques. This technology allows a highly-tailored aircraft to be developed from concept to first flight in days. Using conventional materials and manufacturing techniques, such as composites,


this would normally take months. Furthermore, because no tooling is required for manufacture, radical changes to the shape and scale of the aircraft can be made with no extra cost. This project has been led by


ProfessorsAndy Keane and Jim Scanlan from the University’s Computational Engineering and Design Research group. Professor Scanlon told


Technology in Education: “The flexibility of the laser sintering process allows the design team to re-visit historical techniques and ideas that would have been prohibitively expensive using conventional manufacturing. One of these ideas involves the use of a geodetic structure. This type of structure was initially developed by BarnesWallis and famously used on the VickersWellington bomber which first flew in 1936.


Southampton first to offerMaster’s Degree in UAVs


The UniversiTy of southampton has been at the forefront of UAv development since the early 1990s, when work began on the autosub programme at its waterfront campus at the national Oceanography Centre, southampton. Abattery powered


submarine travelled under sea ice in more than 300 voyages to map the North Sea, and assess herring stocks.


Now, the university is


launching a groundbreaking course which enables students to take aMaster’s Degree in unmanned autonomous vehicle (UAV) design. This is the first scheme of its


kind and from this September, postgraduates can take part in a one-year programme covering the design, manufacture and operation of robotic vehicles. The degree will cover marine, land-based and pilotless aircraft,


Technology in Education No.185 September 2011 14


typically used in environments that are deemed unsafe or uneconomic, such as exploration under sea ice, or monitoring gas emissions from volcanic eruptions. NASAexpects UAVs to become ‘standard tools’ in fields such as agriculture, earth observation and climate monitoring.


Circle No.E7


This form of structure is very stiff and lightweight, but very complex. If it was manufactured conventionally it would require a large number of individually tailored parts that would have to be bonded or fastened at great expense.” Professor Keane added:


“Another design benefit that laser sintering provides is the use of an elliptical wing planform. Aerodynamicists have, for decades, known that elliptical wings offer drag benefits. The Spitfire wing was recognised as an extremely efficient design but it was notoriously difficult and expensive to manufacture.Again laser sintering removes the manufacturing constraint associated with shape complexity.”


Circle No.E6


What is laser sintering?


LAser sinTering is an additivemanufacturing technique that uses a high powered laser to fuse small particles of plastic, metal, ceramic or glass powders into a mass that has a desired 3-dimensional shape. Compared with other methods


of additive manufacturing, selective laser sintering (SLS) can produce parts from a relatively wide range of powder materials including nylon, polystyrene, steel, titanium, alloy mixtures, composites and green sand.


Check out our website: www.technology-in-education.co.uk


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