General Electric announced at the RAPID 2013 Conference that it is launching two global additive manufacturing quests that invite entrepreneurs, companies and institutions to offer their solutions to both challenges: a 3D Printing Design Quest for technologies used in healthcare and a 3D Printing Production Quest for an aircraft engine bracket.

Additive manufacturing is a key part of the advanced manufacturing revolution. GE has already reduced production times by up to 25% and achieved cost savings without sacrificing performance by putting additive technologies to work on an industrial scale. Continued external collaboration with fabrication leaders will accelerate the application of these technologies to further increase the speed and quality of innovation.
The additive manufacturing quests, which leverage GE’s prior successful Flight and Hospital quests in a new space, are launching with partners GrabCAD and NineSigma. Both are open to the public. The first phase of both quests will be open from June 11, 2013 to July 26, 2013.
 
3D Printing Design Quest

• The design quest tasks participants to create the best 3D-printable design for an aircraft engine bracket.
• The top ten designs from the first phase will win $1,000 each and will be additively manufactured and tested by GE during phase two.
• The top 8 designs in the second phase will be awarded from a total prize pool of $20,000.
• GE has partnered with GrabCAD to launch the design quest. During the quest, GrabCAD’s online community of more than 650,000 global engineers will have a chance to submit their CAD design solutions to a panel including some of GE’s brightest engineers.
• Today, creative makers worldwide are invited to apply here.
• See Official Rules for details. Contest opens on June 11, 2013. Must submit at least one entry by July 26, 2013 to be eligible for phase two. Must be 18 years of age or older to participate. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited.

• This quest asks participants to use 3-D printing technology to produce highly precise and complex parts with high precision. Such parts will have potential application in medical imaging and a broad spectrum of other GE businesses.
• An objective of this quest is to broaden GE’s supplier network of high-end 3D fabricators with sophisticated production capabilities.
• Up to ten winners from the first phase will be awarded $5,000 and invited to participate in the second phase, which includes prototype fabrication with specified materials. Up to three winning prototypes will be awarded $50,000 each.
• GE has partnered with Nine Sigma to launch the production quest.
• This open innovation quest will be judged and tested by industry experts in fields of additive manufacturing and engineering.
• Today, 3D printer fabricators worldwide are invited to apply here.
• See Official Rules for details. Contest opens on June 11, 2013. Must submit at least one entry by July 26, 2013 to be eligible for phase two. Must be 18 years of age or older to participate. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited.

Combining GE’s technology and scale with GrabCAD and NineSigma’s communities of innovators and open innovation platforms will inspire and facilitate the creative collaboration needed to generate new solutions to some of the toughest additive manufacturing challenges.
More information on the quests can be found here.

GE
www.ge.com

GrabCAD
grabCAD.com

NineSigma
www.ninesigma.com
www.ninesights.com