I don't understand the correlation between 3d printing and making a motor more efficient. These printers are ridiculously expensive at this point and would help to reduce production time over standard CNC processes. However, It still relies upon human input to tell it what to print.

Have you come up with a design for a motor that will push twice the thrust in half the size?

Yep, but not me.
Only one component in the engine needs to be 3D printed. Casting or milling for his type of design is not possible.
Have a look at the videos posted above. The hint is there.

Know how are as important as a 3D printer :-)

Henke

Do you have any T20 micro turbine you like to sell ?

I wish the micro turbines where easier to get. Im not a fan of the P-20 but Lambert is too difficult to get in contact with.

I came across this one a few weeks ago, my mind was blown.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fr_PneeyO34

Could an engine design like this be made with say a 175mm fan in the front reducing the diameter of this engine by about 1/3 its size?

Better go EDF if you want the fan. The pure turbojet has advantages in higher thrust at speed and a much lighter install with only one rotating part.

Hi Henke

I have had to put aside my interest in this subject for almost 8 years for a variety of reasons but I am back, thankfully and I can see there have been some advances is EDF capabilities. That's an interesting turbo prop / fan installation you have posted there. How much thrust does it produce?

My interest in the hobby in general at this point is more of an academic pursuit. What I wish to build would not be accepted by AMA rules and standards without a massive waiver, so in this current climate of government oversight do to the irresponsible piloting of consumer quality "drones" I doubt I will ever see an endorsed flight. That said, the technology I require is probably still a couple of years away and regulations could pile up before then. Who knows, but I'm just babbling now.

My aim in my project is to create an as scale reproduction as possible on as many fundamental levels a 1/5 scale SU-35. This scale approach includes the engines. Since a strictly axial flow low bypass engine is problematic I though a more high bypass design with a centrifugal flow impellerwould offer greater possibilities of success.

Below is an excerpt from an article about an all electric turbofan engine, what are some thoughts on this:

Another still theoretical approach is a plasma jet engine based on a conventional turbojet. Making use of the multi-stage compressor and expander sections of a regular jet engine, a plasma jet replaces the fuel combustion stage with an electrically driven plasma ignition stage.

A good example to demonstrate the principle is a typical hand held plasma cutting torch. Compressed air is supplied by an air compressor at around 90 psi (Coincidentally many jet engines produce around 90psi after their compressor stages ) which is forced through a very small opening in the torch nozzle with an electric arc applied to ionize the airflow. The combination of arc and high pressure/small nozzle creates a supersonic (9,000 mph) superheated (25,000 F) plasma stream that in a plasma cutter application vaporises steel and in a jet motor could replace the fuel combustion process.

There are various ways to generate a plasma but one method is to replace the combustion cans, that reside after the turbojet compressor stage, with anodes/cathode combustion chambers to superheat the compressed air entering the combustion stage and expand the gas out through the exhaust turbines much the same as a normal jet engine.

Superheat and supersonic in a combustion chamber?
How do you cool the plasma down and slow it down within 10 inches? A turbine stage is required to drive the compressor. The turbine blades need to run at less than 750c continuous with common Inconel alloy.
If you remove the compressor and turbine, then you've got a ram jet.

This to me as a non engineer is incredible news, I hope it comes to pass in the near future.