GE just announced 10 finalists for their 3D Printing Design Challenge to redesign a jet engine bracket. Their goal was to tap the GrabCAD Community to make a lighter 3D printable design. There were more than 700 entries and the finalists come from nine countries as different and far apart as Hungary and Indonesia. They will each receive a $1,000 prize with more rewards on the table after Phase II.
Pictured: GE jet engine bracket V2 by Alexis on GrabCAD (Rendering by Miloš Barbir)
Finalist M. Arie Kurniawan lives in Salatiga, Indonesia. He runs a small engineering firm with his brother. “3D printing will be available for everyone in the very near future,” he says. “It will change many things.” Read more about the finalists and view their designs.
We have entered into a new era of manufacturing that is leveraging the proven power of open innovation. Additive manufacturing is allowing GE, together with the maker community, to push the boundaries of traditional engineering. These finalists have demonstrated what can be achieved by embracing this more open, collaborative model.” -Mark Little, CTO at GE Global Research
So what's next? GE engineers will manufacture the 10 finalists' designs and put them through mechanical tests at GE Global Research in upstate New York. The load testing will take place between Sept. 17 and Nov. 15 and the top 8 designs will share a total prize pool of $20,000.
Even Tom Friedman from the NY Times is excited about the innovative pairing of GE and GrabCAD. In his latest article he describes what makes this opportunity different, "I saw one prototype that was 80 percent lighter than the older version…A majority of entries came from people outside the aviation industry.”
Stay tuned for videos, special features, testing details, and more by following the GE Jet Engine Bracket Challenge on GrabCAD.
