What goes into 3D printing jet engine parts

Published Thu, May 1 201412:00 PM EDTUpdated Thu, May 1 20141:05 PM EDT

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How to 3-D Print a Jet Engine

Boeing, Airbus, and Lockheed Martin are all lining up for the next big thing, a jet engine composed of 3-D printed parts. GE Aviation plans to be in full production of its LEAP Engine by 2016, which will be nearly 25 percent lighter and more fuel efficient than what's currently available. The improvements will save companies hundreds of thousands dollars per plane.

CNBC's Melissa Lee got a three-step lesson on how to print a jet engine part with Greg Morris, Additive Technology Leader at GE Aviation, from its 3-D printing plant in Cincinnati.

Workers servicing a plane at the TIMCO hangar in Greensboro, N.C.

Want a job in a fast growing industry? Look to the skies

—By CNBC's Kristin Cwalinski. Follow her on Twitter @Kris10Cwalinski.