Australian researchers unveiled the world’s first two jet engines created with 3-D printing on Thursday, a manufacturing breakthrough that could lead to cheaper, lighter and more fuel-efficient jets.

Engineers at Monash University and its commercial arm are making top-secret prototypes for Boeing Co. Airbus Group NV, Raytheon Co. and Safran SA in a development that could be the savior of Australia’s struggling manufacturing sector.

“This will allow aerospace companies to compress their development cycles because we are making these prototype engines three or four times faster than normal,” said Simon Marriott, chief executive of Amaero Engineering, the private company set up by Monash to commercialize the product.

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