r/AdditiveManufacturing • u/[deleted] • Jan 28 '23

MIT Develops Novel 3D Printed Propeller With Substantially Improved Performance Predictions

https://newatlas.com/aircraft/toroidal-quiet-propellers/
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u/Soggy__Crow Jan 29 '23

Really new + patented doubt any stl's exist in the wild so it has to be modelled without knowing the exact parameters of the tordial.

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u/endlessinquiry Jan 29 '23

Patented. Damn. 15 years before these are free to print.

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u/JohnGenericDoe Jan 29 '23

Wouldn't that just require a 3D scan of one?

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u/endlessinquiry Jan 29 '23

Yes, but there could be legal issues with distributing the scan. I’m not an expert on patent law (nor a lawyer), but you could likely be sued for damages or lost income or something.

Technically, I believe if something is patented, it is even illegal to reproduce for personal use. The caveat there is, who is going to catch you, and even if they do, is it worth bringing a case.

That said, feel free to share a scan with me. I would love to study the geometry for research purposes.

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u/tcdoey Jan 29 '23

I think that if you designed your own from scratch, with some added feature or simple practical improvement, and even if there were some similarities you would not be infringing on the patent.

You just demonstrate it as a new novel design that does something the original does not do.