Someone in Japan managed to 3D print a real-life “working” Toyota 22-RE engine with moving parts.

It seems like if you can imagine it, you can 3D print it, and this is definitely one of those cases. According to KzhSSPor6qoAOPC off of twitter earlier yesterday (Dec 8, 2017) one of his latest uploaded videos showcases a fully functioning 22-RE engine and transmission. If you look closely, you can see the pistons moving up and down in the correct firing order as per Toyota’s specifications and you can even shift the tiny gear shift lever as well. Check out this amazing little video below.

The level of detail on the mini-engine is noteworthy. Even the valve cover has Toyota printed out in the same location as the original. And even though this engine doesn’t need to be air cooled by an accessory fan, they’ve gone ahead and printed one anyways for that added visual effect.

A cursory search through youtube reveals that this isn’t the first Toyota 22RE engine that’s been 3D printed. In fact, there are at least a dozen of these fully functional plastic 22-REs. Presumably, since you can program 3D printers to print just about anything given the right programming, I’m going to assume that there are actual files for printing out all the engine parts for a 22-RE thanks to someone who took the time to scan an actual 22-RE engine.

Check out this 3D printer making a couple of Toyota parts for an engine in this video here.

If you can scan and 3D print something as complicated as an engine, the possibilities are endless. Possibly in the future, we can load up our own personal 3D printers with the right materials, download a part, and print out something we need for our car right in the comfort of our own home.

3D printing technology is a relatively new trend thanks to the availability of cheap 3D printers. Who knows where 3D printing technology will be a few years from now.

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