Robin Etherton Posted November 28, 2017 Share Posted November 28, 2017 So having got this 3d printer and having installed all the relevant upgrades, what to do with it? There are several companies on line providing designs for 3d printed aeroplanes and I tried a couple of test printed parts compliments of Thingyverse, one from Kraga and the other from 3dlabprint. The Kraga test file was easy to print but the wing part needed covering and the material pla is an absolute pig to cover in film without either melting the part or distorting it with the heat. There is plenty of help on line to achieve a half decent result but in the end I gave up(you can see my attempts on the 3d thread). I didn’t have much luck either with the 3dprint test piece. Printing the thin walling was ok but the slicer(Cura) refused to recognise the internal strengthening ribs. Again there is plenty of help on line but in the end I bit the bullet and ordered the complete print files from labprint. Apart from the stl files themselves you also get Cura profiles which get you started along the right lines for successful prints. Also included is a comprehensive user guide. I am now halfway through printing all the parts and shown above are the fuselage parts and the first part of the wing being printed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil (Itisme) Posted November 29, 2017 Share Posted November 29, 2017 With the one i printed i adjusted the length of the cf tube to get the balance right. Using close to the recommeded equipment (motor has higher kv rating) overall length is 1.07m, the exposed lenght of the cf tube is 32cm. Its surprising how well this flies, its quite fast (will go vertical without a problem) and glides better than expected. I got a 15min flight and landed with about 40% capacity remaining (1500mah turnigy battery) no heat from either the battery or speedy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin Etherton Posted November 30, 2017 Author Share Posted November 30, 2017 Nice to see one completed, cheers. Lh wing print completed ready for fitting and gluing. Cyano is recommended with a simple butt joint. No doubt this would be OK but I will be adding a few ply doublers/locators at stategic points just to help things along. To those not familiar with 3d printing it is not a swift process and each section shown in the picture takes 2 to 4 hours to print. Also shown today are the Cura slicer settings I have been using. These can take a fair while to get right as they vary from machine to machine and from material colour to colour. You will have to look sideways at the Cura settings as it refuses to load in the right way up. Proceeding with the other wing half. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil (Itisme) Posted December 1, 2017 Share Posted December 1, 2017 Dont be worried to much about adding doublers mine is just held together with zap-a-gap medium and a spray of activator. Had about a dozen flights so far with no signs of joints failing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin Etherton Posted December 6, 2017 Author Share Posted December 6, 2017 Thanks for that. No more pictures today, had to carry out a minor repair on the printer. Fell foul of the dreaded heater bed wire joint failure. Those with the anet a8 printer will know exactly what I mean. An observation on the wing parts for those who have yet to build one of these. Pay particular attention to making sure the parts stick well to the bed during printing as any minor lifting at the ends means more fettling before gluing together. Ask me how I know!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin Etherton Posted December 9, 2017 Author Share Posted December 9, 2017 The left hand wing is now glued together and the aileron(in two parts) is shown. Also made a start on the tail feathers. Had to make some minor adjustments to the printing settings to get the ailerons to print properly. The Cura slicer I am using takes some getting used to. The motor mounts in the foreground already have the appropriate side thrust built in, a nice touch and three variants are provided depending on which motor you use. I haven’t decided yet so have printed all three. I could do with some help on one minor matter. You can see in the above wing photo that the cyano has run a little on the top surface. Any tips on how to remove this without spoiling the pla material would be gratefully received. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin Etherton Posted February 12, 2018 Author Share Posted February 12, 2018 It’s been a while but significant progress has been made. The wing is now complete and attached to the fuselage. Still a few smears of cyano here and there. Tried neat acetone but not with much success. In the first picture you will see I have put a small fillet of balsa to stiffen up the fuselage to wing joint as it was a bit wobbly as moulded. Would probably been ok but just to be on the safe side. Details of motor assembly and fitting to follow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin Etherton Posted February 12, 2018 Author Share Posted February 12, 2018 Propeller 11 x 6 folding Motor TurnigyD350/14 1100kv Esc Hornet 40a sbec 4a Receiver Orange 615x Battery Gens Ace 1000mah 11.1v 20c All cheap as chips from Hobbyking. Needed to cut the wires down quite a lot so that it will all fit into the fuselage which it just does. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin Etherton Posted February 15, 2018 Author Share Posted February 15, 2018 Controls for elevator and ailerons in place, servos fit nicely in the standard pockets. Just the final setting up for cg with the battery and receiver in place. Need to cut about 45mm off of the carbon tail boom. Details to follow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin Etherton Posted March 1, 2018 Author Share Posted March 1, 2018 It’s finished!!! Target weight ready to fly is 940gm. Actually weighs 916gms. In the instructions the boom is glued in permanently both ends. I have glued the tailplane end but for easier transport have fixed the front end with a tie. Too late for pictures tonight so these wil follow. Will not be hurrying to make the maiden flight just yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin Etherton Posted March 2, 2018 Author Share Posted March 2, 2018 Cost breakdown as follows; Airframe. £15 Motor. £14 Propeller. £11 Receiver. £8.50 Esc. £7 Servo extension leads. £4 Battery. £15 Servos x3. £12 Total rtf. £ 86.50 and a whole lot of fun. Will report on maiden in due course............ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin Etherton Posted March 25, 2018 Author Share Posted March 25, 2018 First day of summer 12 degrees and wind speed about 5mph. Be rude not to wouldn’t it? Below is the video of the second flight. Maiden was uneventful but needed a bucketful of up trim to give level flight. Very resposive to controls and bags od power as can be seen in the video. If you turn the sound up on the video you can here a crack on landing. Poor printing gave rise to a cracked fuselage at the rear where the boon attaches. Consequently I will print a replacement part with better settings and a thickened wall section. Hang on in there just realised I have no idea how to upload a video. I will be back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy G. Posted March 26, 2018 Share Posted March 26, 2018 I bought the kit from AeroFred last year but have yet to start building it yet so interesting to find this thread. Looking forward to seeing the video! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin Etherton Posted March 26, 2018 Author Share Posted March 26, 2018 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin Etherton Posted March 26, 2018 Author Share Posted March 26, 2018 Well it seems to have worked, my thanks to the moderators in helping me to upload the video. Can’t wait to start another one from 3d labprint. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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