this is the Technology Report.European airplane maker Airbusplans to have new passenger airplanesby 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 travelis largely the result of fuel cost.So airplane manufacturers want to build lighter planeswith more fuel efficient engines.They also want their planes to to have more seats.Modern airplanes like the large Boeing 787 Dreamlinerare made from a mixture of plastic and carbon materials.The current Airbus A350 planeuses plastic parts created in a 3-D printer.But the model XWB plane will be the firstwith parts printed in the hard metal titanium.Peter Sander of Airbus says company technicianslearned 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 printingwe have the chance to integrate the bracket of the pipeand 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 engineersneeded 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 itand put it on the desk one week laterto 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 partswill 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 areawith the highest gain over time," Krein said.U.S. company General Electric saysit 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 51voa.com.Give us a like on Facebook, follow us on twitterat VOA Learning English.You can also watch videoson the VOA Learning English YouTube channel.更多听力请访问51voa.com