In a previous post I talked about GE using the Crowdsourcing model to stimulate innovation with a contest announced in June 2013 to redesign loading brackets for their jet engine division.  The parts had to be 3D Printed, demonstrate reduced weight, and then undergo rigorous load testing.

Today GE announced the winner of the GE 3D Printing Design Quest from nearly 700 entries spanning 56 countries around the world.  Winning the first place prize of $7,000 is M Arie Kurniawan from Salatiga, Indonesia.  Kurniawan owns an engineering design firm with his brother.  His design demonstrated the best ratio of stiffness while reducing weight by nearly 84 percent.

GE Executive Director of Global Innovation Steve Liguori said, “At GE, we know innovation can come from anywhere. This challenge tapped into the ingenuity of the GrabCAD Community to unleash new solutions to tomorrow’s challenges using additive manufacturing.”   The aerospace industry in particular is embracing the unique properties of Additive Manufacturing in the area of complex geometries.  By 3D printing structures that are not solid yet equally strong, aircraft weigh less, reducing fuel consumption.

We’re seeing GE work closely with designers and vendors such as Morris Technologies who they recently acquired.   The complexities of Additive Manufacturing require a broad range of skills and capabilities which are more than any one company may possess in-house.  GE is going the extra step with Challenges such as this to spur innovation to benefit new product development.  Congratulations to the winner and the runners up who will share additional prize monies.