Stratasys and Autodesk model aircraft engine

Stratasys and Autodesk have used Autodesk Inventor 2010 software to design a model aircraft engine before producing it on Stratasys's Fortus 3D Production Systems and Dimension 3D Printers.

The engine model sets a new precedent in scale and showcases the potential of 3D printing.

Its gearbox includes two sets of gears that operate two sets of propellers moving in counter rotation to each other.

The engine model is more than 10ft (3048mm) long, has a blade-span of 10.5ft and has 188 components.

It includes several large parts, such as six propeller blades, each measuring 4.5ft.

Building this physical model with FDM helped improve its design by identifying four opportunities to make components fit or operate with better precision.

Assembling a physical model helps to make design engineers certain of component form, fit and function.

The turbo-prop engine was designed by Nino Caldarola, a freelance designer for Autodesk.

He shared his concept with Autodesk, which wanted to bring a full-scale model to life using Inventor software and FDM technology.

Caldarola's design is a hybrid of newer engine and classic engine design and was partially inspired by the Piaggio Avanti II aircraft engine, the TP 500.

Caldarola worked with engineers at Redeye On Demand, a business unit of Stratasys, to make adjustments that would ensure an accurate physical model.

All 188 components were produced in four weeks and assembled in 2.5 weeks for a total production time of 6.5 weeks.

Using conventional fabrication processes, such as machining and casting (with in-house and outside resources) a manufacturer would expect to spend nine months or more producing a model such as this one.

Using the FDM process in-house, a manufacturer could expect costs of roughly USD25,000 (GBP15,000), versus an estimated USD800,000 to USD1m for conventional processes.

These numbers represent about a 97 per cent reduction in production costs and 83 per cent reduction in production time.

With conventional fabrication processes, the full gearbox assembly would be composed of metal.

For this turbo-prop model, the components were produced from ABS plastic, which provided the strength to support the large, heavy-gear assembly.

The model was built in Minneapolis and shipped across the country, which made a tough and durable construction material essential.

After creating complex models with additive fabrication, manufacturers can then use the CAD files to create perfectly mating jigs and fixtures to support production processes.