π Summary
A team at the US Department of Energyβs Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has spent eight weeks 3D-printing a massive steel mold that stands 6 feet tall, measures 4 feet wide and weighs nearly 2 tons. The tool, developed with Boeing, is designed for manufacturing thermoplastic composite aircraft components and will contribute to NASAβs Hi-Rate Composite Aircraft Manufacturing (HiCAM) project.