36" Northern Pike - 3D Printed Cuda Clone (It Flies & STL's are Posted!)

[Tal_N]

Sorry it took so long for me to post my settings here for you. So I have a CR10s and for print in the plane I use 200c extuder 60c bed and for retraction I do a distance of 2.4mm at a retration speed of 40mms and a prime speed of 40mms. I print at around 26mms with a first layer speed of 13mms. Also I usually use a brim for support. Thanks so much for doing this for me!

PS that blue plane looks awesome!

Differs a lot from my settings on the CR-10S.
I use pvc plate on the bed with no adhesion issues. on the contrary, I need to lower bed temp to prevent damage to the pars when releasing after print.
My retraction is way higher and faster and so is print speed. I had great results with all parts, and I've gone down to 0.2 mm leyer for even better.
I use crappy PLA of local manufacture that performs best at 218 C for single wall printing (222C first 2 mm of print) - no layer fan of course.
Bed is 50 c

The design is outstanding and well thought of... looking forward or assembly and flying

 

[DroneRocket Guy]

Differs a lot from my settings on the CR-10S.
I use pvc plate on the bed with no adhesion issues. on the contrary, I need to lower bed temp to prevent damage to the pars when releasing after print.
My retraction is way higher and faster and so is print speed. I had great results with all parts, and I've gone down to 0.2 mm leyer for even better.
I use crappy PLA of local manufacture that performs best at 218 C for single wall printing (222C first 2 mm of print) - no layer fan of course.
Bed is 50 c

The design is outstanding and well thought of... looking forward or assembly and flying

Hu.... That is quite diffrent. I had one awesome print before cura started making some errors in the outer wall. Bed temp might be different because I'm still using the original bed with purple glue(going to eventually put on magigo as I got a free sample with some filliment!!)

 

[localfiend]

Differs a lot from my settings on the CR-10S.
I use pvc plate on the bed with no adhesion issues. on the contrary, I need to lower bed temp to prevent damage to the pars when releasing after print.
My retraction is way higher and faster and so is print speed. I had great results with all parts, and I've gone down to 0.2 mm leyer for even better.
I use crappy PLA of local manufacture that performs best at 218 C for single wall printing (222C first 2 mm of print) - no layer fan of course.
Bed is 50 c

The design is outstanding and well thought of... looking forward or assembly and flying

.2mm layer heights can make for higher quality prints. I've actually started using .2mm layer heights just in specific sections of wing parts 1 and 2. I'm to impatient to do everything at .2mm, and the other issue is that it adds more weight.

Got 7 if these to assemble for the weekend.

 

[DroneRocket Guy]

.2mm layer heights can make for higher quality prints. I've actually started using .2mm layer heights just in specific sections of wing parts 1 and 2. I'm to impatient to do everything at .2mm, and the other issue is that it adds more weight.

Got 7 if these to assemble for the weekend.

View attachment 113746

Yikes! I am still stuck on plane one!

 

[Antslake]

I am almost done with mine. A lot of different filaments, and 2 different printers. I have a suggestion to make. Instead of circles for the lightening holes, why not use diamonds. Position them in a way that the printer never has to print more than a 40° overhang. I think the hardest part about this print is having to print across the top of those circles.

I hope you don't take it wrong, it is an amazing piece of engineering. I will be tipping the designer.

 

[Tal_N]

Is there a reason why this part can not print up side down to avoid the support thing?
I'v ruined one trying to remove the support.

Mine's still in the bag

 

[localfiend]

I am almost done with mine. A lot of different filaments, and 2 different printers. I have a suggestion to make. Instead of circles for the lightening holes, why not use diamonds. Position them in a way that the printer never has to print more than a 40° overhang. I think the hardest part about this print is having to print across the top of those circles.

I hope you don't take it wrong, it is an amazing piece of engineering. I will be tipping the designer.

I did consider using diamonds. The big issue is that they don't have the same amount of weight removing potential and every gram behind the CG counts big time on a printed plane. If your circles aren't perfect, don't sweat it. Most of the strength comes from the skin and the dovetail joint. The circles in the wings become less and less important for anything other than keeping surface tension as you move up the wing.

Is there a reason why this part can not print up side down to avoid the support thing?
I'v ruined one trying to remove the support.

Mine's still in the bag

I did it that way primarily to add strength to the glue joint. Doubled perimeters mate up much better than single lines. However after printing a bunch of these and seeing how strong the plane is, I may upload a version without the supports for those that want to flip it and print upside down.

 

[DroneRocket Guy]

I did consider using diamonds. The big issue is that they don't have the same amount of weight removing potential and every gram behind the CG counts big time on a printed plane. If your circles aren't perfect, don't sweat it. Most of the strength comes from the skin and the dovetail joint. The circles in the wings become less and less important for anything other than keeping surface tension as you move up the wing.



I did it that way primarily to add strength to the glue joint. Doubled perimeters mate up much better than single lines. However after printing a bunch of these and seeing how strong the plane is, I may upload a version without the supports for those that want to flip it and print upside down.

Any chance you where able to make some gcode for my printer? I'm sorry if I'm impatient it is a bad habbit of mine lol. Take your time if you need to. Summer is is my off session as it is about 100* out and is unbearable. Winter spring and fall are perfect for Flying. Thanks for making this awesome thread and plane! Safe flying (your 7 planes!)

Hold on let me add an edit here. I realized brushing my teeth that I had one very good print. Then it hit me that when I had printed it it printed by it's self no other parts printing with it. After labor day time will be few and far between but hopefully I can get most parts printed tomorrow.

 

[JGplanes]

Told you it was gonna be ugly! It’s finally getting assembled, but it will probably be next week before the maiden due to time and weather. Someone please name it. Only thing I can think of is pukin pike. Should I paint it? If so, what kind of paint is recommended? I don’t want to end up melting the glue with solvents.



JG

 

[Antslake]

Getting closer. Electronics should go in tomorrow, and then maiden Thursday or Fri.

 

[Antslake]

Told you it was gonna be ugly! It’s finally getting assembled, but it will probably be next week before the maiden due to time and weather. Someone please name it. Only thing I can think of is pukin pike. Should I paint it? If so, what kind of paint is recommended? I don’t want to end up melting the glue with solvents.

View attachment 113924

JG

I like it. Looks like a racing stripe. Just tell people you meant to do it. Probably easy to see in the air too.

 

[Tal_N]

Same here. I'll be waiting for the motor, though.

 

[localfiend]

Looking good guys. Those colored fins you all have should do a lot for orientation. Black is a little hard to see, at least with darker colored planes.

I built 4 this last weekend and sold several to help out with a club fundraiser. Melted a 2306 2400kv with 6s and a 5.5x4.5 apc prop. 6s may need a smaller prop than 5" with as hot as it got at 5.5. Or I just need a bigger motor. Seems the lower cooling from a pusher is a strong factor.

Also got to try out some LED's (taped to the outside of the plane) which were a lot of fun for night flying. Building another with an internal RGB setup now.

Also started tinkering with .3mm nozzles again. I'f stuff works out, should have the 27" version out soonish.

 

[Antslake]

FYI, my plane as without the motor mount, but wires installed weighs 550g. I printed at .48 extrusion width.

I have 2 suggestions after building. The motor mount holes do not line up with my motor, and I had to slot them. Second, I would angle the servo mounting hole to be perpendicular to the hinge of the elevon. Otherwise such a fantastic piece of engineering!

Any tips on battery mounting?

 

[agentkbl]

I am almost done with mine. A lot of different filaments, and 2 different printers. I have a suggestion to make. Instead of circles for the lightening holes, why not use diamonds. Position them in a way that the printer never has to print more than a 40° overhang. I think the hardest part about this print is having to print across the top of those circles.

I think diamonds would be a good idea, except for the massive stress risers created by the corners. The circles have essentially no excess stress generated by their corners, having none, and a diamond with acute angles makes for some intense cracking. I don't know that that's an issue here, as a lot of the rib structure is for skin tension, but it is something to think about.

 

[localfiend]

FYI, my plane as without the motor mount, but wires installed weighs 550g. I printed at .48 extrusion width.

I have 2 suggestions after building. The motor mount holes do not line up with my motor, and I had to slot them. Second, I would angle the servo mounting hole to be perpendicular to the hinge of the elevon. Otherwise such a fantastic piece of engineering!

Any tips on battery mounting?

What motor did you use? I can always go ahead and make multiple firewalls to suit different ones. The current firewall has the standard quad motor pattern of 16x19mm and should work for pretty much all of them. All the ones I've printed on 4 different printers have always come out fitting perfectly. If your motor has the same pattern, you might want to consider printing a test cube to check your printers accuracy.

As for battery mounting, I was just using some velcro in the bottom of the tray. However, the velcro I have is really strong, so I've gone with a strap setup. I'll upload the STL's for the strap holders to the thingiverse page.

As for the servos, they're angled as they are for better print-ability. The benefits of being inline with the hinge are pretty negligible, and I'd bet money no one would be able to tell one way from the other when it's up flying in the air.

I think diamonds would be a good idea, except for the massive stress risers created by the corners. The circles have essentially no excess stress generated by their corners, having none, and a diamond with acute angles makes for some intense cracking. I don't know that that's an issue here, as a lot of the rib structure is for skin tension, but it is something to think about.

That was my other concern. In some areas, that kind of stress riser wouldn't be a problem, but in others, even being printed in layers it's not worth it. Better safe than sorry. Until I find something better, I'll keep using circles and ellipses. If they don't print perfectly, don't worry too much about it, the trouble areas you might run into are close to the leading edge, or further out on the wing. This plane is more than strong enough as is for flying in the air. I tried really hard to make it come apart this last weekend and couldn't even make it flex.

 

[JGplanes]

So I’m getting really close to finishing assembly and I need feedback on a couple things.
1. I’m planning on using a 2306 with a 30amp ESC based on earlier posts, but the prop (6x4.5) seems really small for this size plane. It’s almost an identical setup to my FT Alpha (20amp esc) and that seems underpowered with way less weight (800mah vs 2200). Am I doing this right?
2. I can’t stand the color. Any recommendations for what kind of paint to use without dissolving the glue or PLA?
3. I would really like to see some alignment tabs in the front fuselage. No complaints as it’s pretty good fit. Just something for future prints.

Thx
JG

 

[localfiend]

So I’m getting really close to finishing assembly and I need feedback on a couple things.
1. I’m planning on using a 2306 with a 30amp ESC based on earlier posts, but the prop (6x4.5) seems really small for this size plane. It’s almost an identical setup to my FT Alpha (20amp esc) and that seems underpowered with way less weight (800mah vs 2200). Am I doing this right?
2. I can’t stand the color. Any recommendations for what kind of paint to use without dissolving the glue or PLA?
3. I would really like to see some alignment tabs in the front fuselage. No complaints as it’s pretty good fit. Just something for future prints.

Thx
JG

View attachment 114008

That 2400kv motor with a 6045 prop on 4s puts out 1700 grams of thrust. It's a ton of power on tap, and has almost no torque issues at all when you punch it. Throttle is basically a go button, and it really moves.

I don't know what power setup you had on the alpha, but if it was this one, it would have been a rocket ship. Prop size doesn't really tell you how much power a plane has, you need to factor in how fast it spins.

You're going to want a 35 or 40 amp esc though. The called for luminiere blheli_s 35a have worked great for me so far.

https://www.getfpv.com/lumenier-35a-blheli-s-esc-opto-2-6s.html


As for paint, most spray paints I've tried have worked on PLA. Not a lot melts it. You can always test paints on a bit of the filament you used. Might end up really heavy if you paint the whole thing though.

I'm considering adding alignment pins to the fuse. Something like a slot for toothpicks, carbon rod, or wire.

3D printed tabs really don't work so well, and I find a get cleaner joints with popsicle sticks than I do with 3dlabprint style alignment tabs.

 

[FoamyDM]

Wow, I have been OUT of IT!
This is Amazing! I know what I'm fixing up tonight... (installing my Anet A8 Motherboard)

 

[JGplanes]

That 2400kv motor with a 6045 prop on 4s puts out 1700 grams of thrust. It's a ton of power on tap, and has almost no torque issues at all when you punch it. Throttle is basically a go button, and it really moves.

I don't know what power setup you had on the alpha, but if it was this one, it would have been a rocket ship. Prop size doesn't really tell you how much power a plane has, you need to factor in how fast it spins.

You're going to want a 35 or 40 amp esc though. The called for luminiere blheli_s 35a have worked great for me so far.

Ugh, I was thinking it was 3s. The only thing I have in 4s is a 4000mah, and I can’t really afford more batteries atm. I’m gonna have to make a decision here...

Thanks for the paint tips.

JG