Owning a Porsche is a dream that many people have, however if you own a 3D printer you can create your own mini Porsche engine. Thanks to Jonathan Brady, a freelance designer trained in mechanical engineering, you too can create “The Flat Six,” his 3D Kinetic sculpture.
This sculpture consists of 18 individually printed, aluminum infused nylon parts. Its design is derived from an actual air-cooled Porsche engine and all the parts are capable of movement. The miniature engine is operated by turning the tiny hand crank to turn the crankshaft, which in turn moves the 6 firing pistons with the aid of 3 steel ball-bearings. In addition to the pistons, a rubber O-ring operates a “heat extraction” fan.
The assembled engine is 6" x 6 7/8" x 5" tall.
It is constructed from 18 3D printed parts
If you don’t have your own 3D printer but still want to own a copy of the miniature engine, you can buy a 5 inch version of from Jonathan Brady’s Etsy page that goes by the name of Kinetic Curiosities.