(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
From VOA Learning English, this is the Technology Report.
European airplane maker Airbus plans to have new passenger airplanes by the end of the year. The new models will use some of the most modern technologies, including metal parts made in a 3-D printer.
The high price of airline travel is largely the result of fuel cost. So airplane manufacturers want to build lighter planes with more fuel efficient engines. They also want their planes to to have more seats.
Modern airplanes like the large Boeing 787 Dreamliner are made from a mixture of plastic and carbon materials. The current Airbus A350 plane uses plastic parts created in a 3-D printer. But the model XWB plane will be the first with parts printed in the hard metal titanium. Peter Sander of Airbus says company technicians learned to print very complex shapes.
"Normally this is a part of the fuel system, it's two pipes in one, and it's normally welded out of 10 parts. So in this case, with 3-D printing we have the chance to integrate the bracket of the pipe and two pipes at once and print it in one shot," Sander said.
3-D printing also helps when parts are no longer available. Mr. Sander tells of a time Airbus engineers needed an extra part for airplane seats that was no longer made, he says it was easy to print perfect copies.
"So we did a redesign in a week and printing in a week. So the redesign itself cost two hours, we took the manual drawing, redesigned it and put it on the desk one week later to the spare part guys," Sander said.
The technology is developing quickly. Axel Krein is vice president of research and technology at Airbus. He says that the number of printed airplane parts will continue to increase overtime.
"We are investing a lot of money in aerodynamic improvement, in material, in noise reduction, etc., but 3-D printing is probably the area with the highest gain over time," Krein said.
U.S. company General Electric says it is investing $50 million in a new 3-D printing factory. The factory will print fuel parts for airplane engines.
And that's the VOA Learning English Technology Report. For more technology stories, go to our website specialenglish.voanews.com. Give us a like on Facebook, follow us on twitter at VOA Learning English. You can also watch videos on the VOA Learning English YouTube channel. I'm Jonathan Evans.
文本来自51voa，译文属可可原创，仅供学习交流使用，未经许可请勿转载
词汇解释
1.weld vt. 焊接；使结合；使成整体 vi. 焊牢 n. 焊接；焊接点
It's possible to weld stainless steel to ordinary steel.
将不锈钢和普通钢焊接在一起是可能的。
2.bracket n. 支架；括号；墙上凸出的托架 vt. 括在一起；把…归入同一类；排除
Fix the beam with the brackets and screws.
用支架和螺丝固定横梁。
3.aerodynamic adj. 空气动力学的，[航] 航空动力学的
The secret of the machine lies in the aerodynamic shape of the one-piece, carbon-fibre frame.
该机器的秘密在于其一体式碳纤维外壳的流线型设计。
内容解析
1.So in this case, with 3-D printing we have the chance to integrate the bracket of the pipe and two pipes at once and print it in one shot,
in one shot 一次性完成
He downed the glass in one shot.
他将杯中的酒一饮而尽.
He hit at the bull's - eye in one shot.
他一枪命中靶心。
参考译文
这里是美国之音慢速英语科技报道。
欧洲飞机制造商空客计划年底之前引入新的客机，新机型将使用最先进的技术，包括用3D打印机制造的金属零部件。
航空飞行的高价格在很大程度上时因为燃油成本，所以飞机制造商希望制造具备更高能效引擎的飞机，希望让飞机上安置更多座位。
像大型波音787梦幻客机这样的现代飞机是由塑料和碳材料混合制作而成，目前的空客A350使用3D打印机制造的塑料部件。但XWB模型飞机将是第一架具备硬金属钛打印部件的飞机，空客的皮特·桑德说公司技术师学习打印非常复杂的形态。
“一般来说这是燃油系统的部件，是两个管道相结合，通常是由10个部件焊接而成。而在这里，我们将管道支架同这两根管道整合后一次性打印出来。”
3D打印在部件不可获得的情况下也能用到，桑德说有一次空客工程师需要一个不再生产的飞机座椅，他说打印完美的副本非常简单。
“我们在一周之内重新设计，在一周内打印出来。重新设计本身需要两个小时，我们手工画图，重新设计，一周后就绘制完毕，然后就制作出了零部件。”
这项技术发展很快，阿克塞尔·克莱恩是空客研究和技术副主席，他说打印飞机零部件的数量未来将继续增加。
“我们在空气动力学、材料和降噪方面投入很多资金，但3D打印未来可能收益最高。”
美国通用电气公司称将耗资5000万美元建造新的3D打印工厂，这家工厂将打印飞机引擎的燃油部件。
这就是美国之音慢速英语科技报道，登陆specialenglish.voanews.com获得更多科技报道，在脸书上给我们点赞，关注我们推特账户。你还可以在美国之音慢速英语YouTube频道观看视频，我是乔纳森·伊万斯。
