X-Plorer: The 3D Printed Jet Engine Made of 965 parts

Developed by a group of engineering students named JetX, this functional 3D printed jet engine is one of the finalists of the Student Grant 3D Hubs competition. The competition is held to discover who can make the best project displaying 3D printing and its applications in engineering, design and architecture. JetX’s X-Plorer is a very special jet engine however, as it consists of over 950 3D printed parts.

965 Parts, 1 3D Printed Jet Engine

Previously, additive manufacturing has contributed to projects involved in planes and even space, within the engines, motors and turbines. However, this time an entire engine was 3D printed, once the 965 parts were assembled. It is also worth noting that the jet engine is fully functional.

A closer look at JetX’s 3D printed jet engine

JetX: a Rolls Royce collaboration

Over 50 students of aerospace engineering at the University of Glasgow developed the X-Plorer in collaboration with Rolls Royce. The students used Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) to create the engine, and used a DreamMaker Overlord Pro 3D printer. This versatile 3D printer can print PLA, ABS, Nylon and more. In the engine’s creation, parts varied from 7 minutes to print, up to a massive 58 hours! The final result was a jet engine 75cm long, with a 27cm diameter which weighed 8.1kg.