(Aerospace Manufacturing & Design) Airbus and China’s Northwestern Polytechnical University (NPU) have signed a cooperation agreement on exploring ways to further apply 3D printing technology in the commercial aviation sector. Under this new agreement, NPU will manufacture test specimens of titanium alloy parts for Airbus using its laser solid forming technology. The specimens will be manufactured according to Airbus specifications and will be measured and assessed by them. Airbus is exploring the use of 3D printing technology to manufacture individual parts or even larger airframe structures for the company’s line of aircrafts. 3D printing technology could transform the manufacturing of airplane parts because it’s potentially cheaper. It could also result in components that are up to 55% lighter than those produced using traditional manufacturing methods.