omgsparks
New member
Hello everybody!
This is actually a thread regarding an already completed project. I hope this is OK with forum rules. I wanted to post about it since I have recently started following a bunch of build threads on here. I am hoping somebody enjoys it and that we can exchange ideas and experience.
A will do a summary here with some key pictures of progress and finished product. A full thread can be found here: http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2668918
The project started when a friend at the flying field forced a pair of huge balsa wings on me. He had apparently managed to crash it nose first. The original fuselage was obliterated but the wings were pretty much untouched.
The original model was a flying wing called "Lightning Dart" made by Richmodel.
As a coincidence I also got my hands on a 1300W helicopter engine. Some quick calculations revealed that I could get somewhere around 4.5kg of static thrust out of it. This got my nerd gears turning. This had potential to become a very interesting model.
I decided to also try to utilize a recent interest of mine. CAD-design and fabrication using 3D-printing. I was at this point eager to use 3D-printing in more project as I wanted to gain as much experience as possible with it. This project also looked like a good candidate for it, since I had a good margin with regards to flying weight. Weight of 3D-printed objects is often a constraint, but on this model I would not have to worry too much about it.
So after some calculations and cg-balance testing I had a design ready
Here is a rendering with wings.
Without wings in profile
The fuselage features two scoops in the front for air intake.
The air is then transferred to the ESC and engine using internal air channels.
I then started printing. I split the fuselage into 4 separate pieces to fit in my 200x200x200mm printer. Each piece took about 25-30 hours to print.
I had to print the whole thing a few times. Problems like power outages, pieces falling over on the printer build plate, mechanical failure in the printer, design errors etc. In total I estimate that I was printing for about 250 hours to finish this model.
Here is a timelapse of the process on one piece. It’s a bit like “watching paint dry” for 25 hours…
Here are the four final pieces on my workbench. In front are plugs that fit into sockets on each surface to simplify alignment of the pieces when gluing.
All glued and ready for surface preparation.
I did a few layers of putty, combined with filler spray and sanding. Here are two pictures taken at different stages during that process.
I did that for quiet some time. Putty, filler and sanding. I lost count before I was satisfied with the surface. With the base surface done it was time for painting. High gloss black. I did several layers of black, and finished off with high gloss clear coat varnish.
Here are some pictures of the final product.
Here is a video and a picture and a video from the day of the maiden.
Another flight video
Hopefully somebody finds this interesting. I sure enjoy the other build logs in here!
This is actually a thread regarding an already completed project. I hope this is OK with forum rules. I wanted to post about it since I have recently started following a bunch of build threads on here. I am hoping somebody enjoys it and that we can exchange ideas and experience.
A will do a summary here with some key pictures of progress and finished product. A full thread can be found here: http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2668918
The project started when a friend at the flying field forced a pair of huge balsa wings on me. He had apparently managed to crash it nose first. The original fuselage was obliterated but the wings were pretty much untouched.
The original model was a flying wing called "Lightning Dart" made by Richmodel.
As a coincidence I also got my hands on a 1300W helicopter engine. Some quick calculations revealed that I could get somewhere around 4.5kg of static thrust out of it. This got my nerd gears turning. This had potential to become a very interesting model.
I decided to also try to utilize a recent interest of mine. CAD-design and fabrication using 3D-printing. I was at this point eager to use 3D-printing in more project as I wanted to gain as much experience as possible with it. This project also looked like a good candidate for it, since I had a good margin with regards to flying weight. Weight of 3D-printed objects is often a constraint, but on this model I would not have to worry too much about it.
So after some calculations and cg-balance testing I had a design ready
Here is a rendering with wings.
Without wings in profile
The fuselage features two scoops in the front for air intake.
The air is then transferred to the ESC and engine using internal air channels.
I then started printing. I split the fuselage into 4 separate pieces to fit in my 200x200x200mm printer. Each piece took about 25-30 hours to print.
I had to print the whole thing a few times. Problems like power outages, pieces falling over on the printer build plate, mechanical failure in the printer, design errors etc. In total I estimate that I was printing for about 250 hours to finish this model.
Here is a timelapse of the process on one piece. It’s a bit like “watching paint dry” for 25 hours…
Here are the four final pieces on my workbench. In front are plugs that fit into sockets on each surface to simplify alignment of the pieces when gluing.
All glued and ready for surface preparation.
I did a few layers of putty, combined with filler spray and sanding. Here are two pictures taken at different stages during that process.
I did that for quiet some time. Putty, filler and sanding. I lost count before I was satisfied with the surface. With the base surface done it was time for painting. High gloss black. I did several layers of black, and finished off with high gloss clear coat varnish.
Here are some pictures of the final product.
Here is a video and a picture and a video from the day of the maiden.
Another flight video
Hopefully somebody finds this interesting. I sure enjoy the other build logs in here!
