RCU Forums - View Single Post - 3D printing a turbine engine
View Single Post
Old 11-18-2014 | 08:04 PM
  #17  
George
My Feedback: (57)
 
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 3,069
Likes: 0
Received 12 Likes on 11 Posts
From: Va Beach, VA
Default

Originally Posted by Jgwright
Mark

I thought rather differently to you. With all the backing of GE the best they can achieve with a 17 year old design is an engine that looks hardly able to self sustain. I would rather say it was pathetic.

John

John,

You are right, on the surface this seems very elementary for GE, but this just may have been a 'proof of concept' for them; and if so, it was a good one. If it was an attempt for a top-shelve unit, they failed badly, but I suspect it is the former.

I just wish they would have shown more of the process and which parts were actually printed. It also appears they only ran the engine on propane (not sure though), and only running to 33K (idle) would support that if there wasn't any lubrication for the bearings. In any case, for someone not involved in the 3D printing field like myself, it is still amazing to see what is possible even it is "elementary" at the moment.