Winning entry to be mass-produced as a Christmas ornament and given away as part of GE's celebration of the first-ever "3D Printing Day", December 3.
NISKAYUNA, NY, December 2, 2013 -- GE Global Research, the technology development arm of the General Electric Company (NYSE: GE), today announced that a winner has been chosen in its Santa Sleigh 3D printing design contest/GRABCAD challenge, a first-time event bringing together the maker community for some holiday fun in advance of tomorrow's inaugural 3D Printing Day.
The first-place design, dubbed "Santa's New Hyper-Sleigh", was submitted by Rickson Subriar and was chosen from a field of 57 entries. A panel of judges consisting of GE material scientists and design engineers, who are experts in 3D printing, considered each sleigh based on several criteria including functionality, aesthetics, aerodynamics, ergonomics and safety, manufacturing and production vision, and sustainability. Click HERE to see a short YouTube video with our judges as they walk through the top 4 designs and explain how they arrived at the winner.
"You look at it and immediately you identify it as a sleigh," said Juan Pablo Cilia, an engineer in the Model-Based Manufacturing Lab at GE Global Research and a contest judge. "It's a comfortable ride for Santa, functional, has good space for presents, is very printable, and would look great on a Christmas tree."
"We really wanted to use this contest as a way to get people thinking more about 3D printing," Cilia added. "We had a blast judging the entries and discussing design ideas with the contestants."
As the winning design, "Santa's New Hyper-Sleigh" will be mass-printed and mailed, free of charge, to about 200 people who take part in 3D Printing Day via Twitter.
GE engineers are also teaming-up with celebrities, like Boston Red Sox pitcher Craig Breslow and fashion designed Stacy London, to design additional 3D printed ornaments which fans can request as gifts on 3D Printing Day.
For more information on 3D Printing Day or to request a free holiday ornament, visit http://3dprintmygift.tumblr.com/ or Tweet the tag #3DPrintMyGift.
About GE Global Research
GE Global Research is the hub of technology development for all of GE's businesses. Our scientists and engineers redefine what's possible, drive growth for our businesses, and find answers to some of the world's toughest problems.
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Visit GE Global Research on the web at www.ge.com/research. Connect with our technologists at http://edisonsdesk.com and http://twitter.com/geresearch.
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Jim Knapp
GE Global Research
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