The meticulous manufacturing process most companies are accustomed to using to create sensitive equipment could soon be replaced by a more efficient, less costly and instantly recognizable device, a printer.

Companies spend millions of dollars each year on the production of exceedingly sensitive equipment. Firms that manufacture jet engines, for example, are continually endeavoring to perfect a process that is both convoluted and expensive, with individual technicians carefully welding and assembling components as they endeavor to produce the appropriate shape and weight of an engine’s musculature.

However, industrial engineering research is increasingly focused on creating a more efficient process that can effectively trim manufacturing expenses and increase efficiency. With companies vying for dominance in a globalized economy, even seemingly insignificant advances in production output and efficiency impart a competitive advantage.

U.S. industrial products giant General Electric is working to improve the efficiency of its jet engine manufacturing unit through the use of three-dimensional printing, MIT’s Technology Review reports. To do so, scientists direct a laser to carefully trace out the shape of the cross-section of a fuel injector on a layer of cobalt-chrome powder. By fusing the powder into solid form, the laser effectively produces the injector incrementally, generating one ultrathin coating after another.

The manufacturing technique ultimately creates a fuel injector that is less expensive to produce than standard models. What’s more, the resulting engine parts are also lighter, which is particularly important in the aviation space. GE engineer Prabhjot Singh asserted that although the company is currently using the production method to create engine components, it could – and likely will – expand its use to other divisions.

“There’s not a day we don’t hear from one of the other divisions at GE interested in using this technology,” he said.

The technology is promising, and engineering departments at schools throughout the U.S. are endeavoring to perfect the process. At the University of Virginia, mechanical and aerospace engineering professor David Sheffler used a sophisticated printer to construct a one-quarter-scale replica of a turbofan jet engine manufactured by Rolls-Royce, according to Popular Mechanics.

Sheffler and engineering students at the school built the imitation jet engine using plastic. Rather than running on jet fuel – as its predecessor does – the model utilizes compressed air to attain the same idle speed. By employing 3D printing, the students were able to create working parts within exceedingly tight specifications, with the printing device crafting one 0.010-inch layer at a time.

Moreover, Sheffler affirmed that 3D printing significantly reduced the costs of engineering the plastic engine. Without access to such technology, the project would not have been possible, given the department’s limited budget.

“If you could get the time and design all this stuff, by my estimate it would cost a quarter-million dollars to fabricate what we did,” Sheffler said, noting that the total cost using 3D printing was approximately $1,800.

Given 3D printing’s ability to so dramatically transform the manufacturing process, it is no surprise that companies such as GE are increasingly investing in the technology. Engineers contend that 3D printing has the potential to transform industries, especially aeronautics and automobile manufacturing. Scientists could also use it to create devices that were formerly unimaginable, such as those that incorporate concave shapes, which would reduce weight and retain strength.

The new manufacturing technique is less wasteful than traditional methods, producing virtually no waste. For companies working with expensive metals and alloys, that could help to substantially trim costs and ultimately augment profit margins. Businesses operating in variant sectors are investing heavily in the technology, and it could surge in popularity within the coming decade, experts say.

Via Knovel

Working closely with Autodesk, and 3D Systems, WB Engineering provides the best solutions for your design challenges, with an offering which includes everything from Autodesk training, to design process automation, ERP integration, and product development, to 3D Printing. Located in Miami, focused on the manufacturing and industrial markets, we are an engineering services company, combining talented people and business processes to provide Digital and Rapid Prototyping solutions (products and services). All of our efforts are focused on helping companies compress time to market, and decreasing design cost to add to our customers bottom line. Our approach to Digital Prototyping and Rapid Prototyping is scalable and cost effective, which can help your organization boost design efficiency while delivering more innovative design ideas.