GE Jet Engine Bracket Challenge: A Case Study in Sustainable Design

Open crowdsourcing competitions can provide a large repository of data which can be used to achieve more sustainable product designs. This study looks at the recent General Electric challenge, a competition to minimize the mass of a titanium jet engine lifting bracket, to illustrate the benefits that can be accrued. In the light of current literature the benefits and challenges of crowdsourcing have been considered. Samples of the entrants to the challenge have been compared to identify critical characteristics for interpreting sustainable designs for additive manufacture. Focusing initially on topological optimisation and orientation of the additive manufacture build, critical features have been highlighted. The availability of many CAD designs has been most useful and has potential for future developments. Crowdsourcing as an innovation approach can also be beneficial for both companies and individuals particularly if the entries are open source.