India’s National Aerospace Laboratories Purchases Domestic 3D Printers for Jet Fighter Upgrades

Source: http://inside3dprinting.com/

(3DPrint.com) — India’s National Aerospace Laboratories has purchased a series of 3D printers it plans to use to build prototype models of spare parts and study the feasibility of using those parts as replacements for fighter jets in the country’s air force. NAL turned to a domestic firm, J Group Robotics, to supply it with a Dimension Delta X, an all-metal dual-nozzle FDM 3D printer. The Dimension Delta X, with its build volume of 720 x 420 mm, can print at 50 micron resolution with materials like ABS, PLA, Nylon, PVA, PP, TGlass, wood, stone, HIPS, and carbon fiber. The NAL says the raw material it uses is available for as little as $30 per kg.

India’s defense budget stands at well over $40 billion, and at this point, most of those funds are used to procure arms and ammunition from foreign sources, including U.S., Russia, and France. The Indian government has committed to upgrading the country’s existing – and aging – stock of French Mirage fighter jets. As part of that initiative, the Indian government asked Indian National Aerospace Laboratories to re-engineer those fighter jets with an eye toward upgrading them. To take on the upgrade job, the National Aerospace Laboratories purchased the Dimension Delta X 3D printers.