3D printing is a hot topic at the moment, but most people assume it can only be used to make small parts. To dispel that myth, a Canadian team has created this retro-style twin prop aircraft engine, fabricating all of the visible moving parts on a huge 3D printer.

Conceived and created using a 3D CAD program called Autodesk Inventor by Nino Caldarola at Imaginit Technologies, the goal was not to build an actual working engine, which it isn't, but simply to show how large precision parts can be created much more quickly and inexpensively using large scale 3D printing. The printer used was made by Stratasys, which completed the project in 6 weeks for around $25,000, compared to an estimated 9 months and $900,000 to make the same parts using conventional metal machining methods.

Technology Review