Why Airplanes Will Love 3-D Printing

During a recent interview, Jeff Immelt, the CEO of General Electric , acknowledged that 3-D printing has some practical applications in the world of building jet engines. He wasn't talking about printing entire jet engines themselves, but 3-D printers could be used to print their biggest parts. The turbine blade for instance, which is made from some of the most expensive high-heat material on the planet could one day be printed by a 3-D printer. Additionally, adopting 3-D printing would cut down the time to design and develop an engine by half.

In this video, Fool.com contributor Steve Heller isolates one 3-D printing company that he believes would be most likely to benefit from a 3-D printed aviation revolution.

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The article Why Airplanes Will Love 3-D Printing originally appeared on Fool.com.

Fool contributor Steve Heller owns shares of The ExOne Company. The Motley Fool recommends Tesla Motors and The ExOne Company. The Motley Fool owns shares of General Electric Company and Tesla Motors. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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