Case Study: Turbine Technologies achieves rapid, low-cost wax investment casting and faster R&D with 3D Systems ProJet MJP wax 3D printing

ProJet MJP Wax Investment Casting Patterns Let Turbine Technologies Soar

Turbine Technologies and its sister company Kutrieb Research are a family‑owned developer and manufacturer of educational and small advanced turbine engines, with work for customers including NASA and U.S. defense labs. They faced a major bottleneck in producing test and low‑volume parts: traditional wax injection tooling for investment casting could take up to five weeks and cost well over $20,000, making iterative design, rapid testing and precise blade tweaks prohibitively expensive and risky.

The companies solved this by adopting 3D Systems ProJet MJP wax 3D printing to produce castable wax patterns overnight for well under $2,000, eliminating the need for expensive molds. That digital workflow enabled fast, low‑cost iteration, protected designs as electronic files, and moved patterns from R&D into small‑run production. The result: much faster turnaround, lower costs, expanded educational and custom offerings, stronger quality and reputation, and new business opportunities.

Turbine Technologies

Toby Kutrieb

Vice President