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GE releases instructions for 3D-printable jet engine

If you head over to Thingiverse, you can get instructions for a hand-cranked, 3D-printable jet engine, courtesy of GE.

Michelle Starr Science editor
Michelle Starr is CNET's science editor, and she hopes to get you as enthralled with the wonders of the universe as she is. When she's not daydreaming about flying through space, she's daydreaming about bats.
Michelle Starr

gejetengine.jpg
GE

If you've ever felt your life didn't have enough jet engines in it, now there's a way you can get one of your very own; just don't expect it to actually power anything.

The engine in question is actually a 3D-printed model, designed by GE. Although its parts move in the same way as a real jet engine, it's scaled down, simplified, made of 3D printer material, and powered not by combustion but by a hand crank.

"Transform your desk into a manufacturing hub with our 3D-printed jet engine assembly kit," GE wrote on its official Tumblr. "This 14-piece model makes the perfect gift for aviation geeks, engine enthusiasts, friends, relatives, baristas, and pets (don't actually give this to your pets)."

GE

The engine fits into a stand, where you can see how the parts interact as you turn the crank. Its parts include the shaft, turbines, compressor and fan.

GE is not just mucking around, though: last year, it started experimenting with additive manufacturing for jet engine parts, producing a model of its GEnx jet engine through direct metal laser melting.

And, last week, the manufacturer announced that it would be opening a high volume additive manufacturing plant in Auburn, AL. to mass produce 3D-printed parts for the jet propulsion industry.

You can grab the files for the 3D printable jet engine over on Thingiverse, and the instructions from Imgur.