Lockdown project: Bringing 3D-printing into your own home - a personal project

Royal Navy Marine Engineering Advanced Apprentice Ryan Bruno has taken his passion for engineering to another level by building his own gas turbine at home.

Ryan spent five years in the Royal Marines before transferring into the Royal Navy in 2016 after working on landing craft and coming into contact with Royal Navy Engineering Technicians.

After completing his initial engineering training in 2017, he was selected for the Fast Track scheme and has just finished the 18-month Leading Engineering Technician qualifying course and is soon to complete his apprenticeship. Currently an Affiliate Apprentice member of IMechE, Ryan is keen to progress to EngTech registration when he completes his apprenticeship.

• Watch Ryan's video of his project [YouTube]

Inspired by his studies in thermodynamics, Ryan used refractory (fire resistant) concrete and 3D-printing technology and designs available online, with some small modifications, to build the turbine.

Ryan said,
“I had read an article one evening online about 3D-printing and its capabilities and wanted to learn more.  I thought it would be interesting to be able to produce objects out of a wide range of materials in your own home using a 3D printer. There are many websites packed with objects you can download and print, or you can design your own if you know how to use 3D CAD software. I’d studied technical drawing and in my spare time at HMS Sultan undertook a 2D CAD course so the transition to 3D CAD was relatively easily once I understood the software.

"Building the gas turbine was an interesting project, it allowed me to learn from my own mistakes and make slight changes to designs by Axel Borg, a Swedish engineer who originally designed the gas turbine. These changes allowed me to use an air compressor to start it and allowed for use of tools and materials I had available to me, slightly different to what had been used previously to make these engines. The knowledge and hand skills gained at Sultan also enabled me to understand how to construct it and fault find, enabling the project to run smoothly.

"Overall it was great learning experience which allowed me to learn more about 3D CAD design and explore new materials and processes; the result being a functioning miniature gas turbine. It also highlights how 3D printing technology provides the ability to produce complicated functioning components in your own home.”