Boeing Starts Using 3D Printing for Satellites

[Clare S]

Boeing is a competitive producer of giant, expensive satellites, but they won't stay competitive for long, according to satellite business chief Paul Rusnock, unless they make some big changes to their manufacturing processes - namely, incorporating 3D printing. Their current models cost about $150 million each and take a lot of time to build, meaning that the company can create relatively few per year. For a long time, this wasn't a problem, as satellite manufacturing was such a specialized market that there were few competitors. That's not the case anymore. 3D printing has allowed for the fabrication of satellites that are smaller, lighter, simpler, and far less expensive, meaning that smaller companies like Made In Space and SpaceX are beginning to compete with the larger, long-established players like Boeing for government contracts. Read more at 3DPrint.com: http:/3dprint.com/165762/boeing-3d-printed-satellites/

[tacomamactech]

"It takes less than two weeks to build an entire 737 aircraft". It takes two weeks to ASSEMBLE! There is no inventory of parts since there are variations the customer requires. The parts are made for the assembly of the 737.