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Old fighter jets can be ground down, melted, and 3D printed into new ones

Turning old fighter jets into a fine powder and using that to 3D print new components is a more sustainable way to build the RAF's next-generation aircraft – and it avoids sourcing materials from Russia

Fighter jets that first flew in the 1970s can be transformed into a fine powder and used to 3D print components for the next generation of aircraft in the UK’s Royal Air Force (RAF). Simply grinding the metal down won’t do, so the recycled components are melted and then sprayed into a high-pressure jet of argon, where they break up into raindrop-shaped droplets. In this first case, the powder was used to 3D print a nose cone for an Orpheus jet engine, which Rolls Royce is currently developing for the Future Combat Air System(FCAS).

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