A new tool developed by an Air Force noncommissioned officer allows maintainers to more efficiently look for fuel leaks.

The tool costs just $15 but will save the military branch at least $1.5 million a year.

The Air Force is increasingly relying on 3D printed parts to repair older aircraft.

The U.S. Air Force will save millions of dollars and airmen spared the dirty work of crawling inside fuel tanks, all by using a simple tool invented by a serving airman. The pressurized leak detection cup will cut the the number of hours needed to detect for fuel tank leaks by up to 75 percent, saving the service more than a million dollars a year. To top it off, the new tool is 3D printed and costs just $15 to produce.

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U.S. Air Force maintainers must keep careful watch on the service’s KC-135 Stratotanker fleet. The aircraft date to the 1950s, making them even older than the vaunted B-52 bomber. The four engined jet, a militarized version of the Boeing 707, entered service in 1956. As you might expect, the aircraft can develop mechanical problems.

The KC-135 can carry up to 200,000 pounds of jet fuel, ready to top off thirsty fighters and bombers on long range missions. Stratotanker maintainers must check the aircraft’s voluminous fuel tanks, a process that until now involved airmen standing outside the tanks spraying them with water, with an unlucky airman inside the tank checking for signs of a leak. The whole process took 8 to 12 hours on average.

The inside of a fuel bladder cell aboard a KC-135 Stratotanker. U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Kyle E. Gese

Air Force Staff Sgt. Patrick Leach, with the 100th Maintenance Squadron, developed the pressurized leak detection cup to cut down on the amount of time it takes to detect leaks. As he explained to the U.S. Air Force:

“My innovation is a 3D printed cup which we can pressurize when pressed up against the surface of the aircraft,” Leach said. “This allows air to travel through any open channels on the surface and exit on the inside of the tank. We can then apply soapy water to the inside so we can see where the leak is coming through.”

The service certified the tool for use on the KC-135, and the Air Force says it will save at least $1.5 million in manpower costs at Leach’s air base, RAF Mindenhall in the United Kingdom, alone. The tool will almost certainly save more money at other KC-135 bases as the Air Force rolls the tool out across units worldwide. To top it off, the tool is modifiable and can be made to fit other aircraft.

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