The AV-8B Harrier that was forced to land without its nose gear lowered has been repaired with help from 3D printing.
Fleet Readiness Center East (FRCE) had to produce sheet metal reinforcements, called ‘doublers’, so that a donor section cut from a spare frame could be mated to the aircraft to replace the damaged part.
Using information derived from Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) CAD model, technicians were able to 3-D print out the forming tools.
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