3D Printed EDF Jet Engine

marcibalt

New member
Hello,

Me and my friend designed a EDF jet engine, wich we printed out using a 3D printer. After assembly and testing we came to a conclusion that it is working pretty well. So we decided to build a bigger one. Currently the jet turbine measures 12cm (4.73in) and it is 22cm (8.66in) long. The turbine is custom and also 3D printed. It is powered by a 2200KV A2212 brushless outrunner from ebay and draws about 30A at full power. The turbine spins at about 10500rpm at full power.

But for the bigger one this motor just won't do it. We need a faster one and a powerfull one. Can anybody recommed a powerfull motor with high KV capability?

At the bottom in the Zip file there is a video of the edf running.

Thanks

15540559_1909756322592199_1553869453_o.jpg 15503030_1909634572604374_1223247192_o.jpg 15776141_1646225435403146_110746509_o.jpg 15555453_1622605244431832_772264317_o.jpg View attachment IMG_5556.zip
 
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rockyboy

Skill Collector
Mentor
Don't have a motor suggestion, but that's a very cool project! Are you sharing the files on Thingiverse or somewhere?
 

marcibalt

New member
Don't have a motor suggestion, but that's a very cool project! Are you sharing the files on Thingiverse or somewhere?

Currently we are not sharing any files because we are still just prototyping and there is still the problem with motor mounts. Almost everyone has a different motor or a motor mount and untill we finnish we probably won't upload it.

But when we do I will post it here and write an article about it.

The end game is to hopefully make a jet airplaine, maybe an F-16 or a MIG-21.
 

Jordan3367

Member
No not yet. This is only the first prototype but maybe later on. Do you have any ideas?

For destructive testing? Yes, put it in a plane and let me fly it. :p

Looks very cool. I would recommend putting tabs of the side of the engine so that you can attach it better to your aircraft. Also, you can search for motors by googling 120mm EDF motors. Hobby king has a few I believe.
 

marcibalt

New member
For destructive testing? Yes, put it in a plane and let me fly it. :p

Looks very cool. I would recommend putting tabs of the side of the engine so that you can attach it better to your aircraft. Also, you can search for motors by googling 120mm EDF motors. Hobby king has a few I believe.

Sure why not :p The next one will be 150mm edf that's why it's so hard to find the right motor. And the next one will have the right tabs for atachment.
 

LitterBug

Techno Nut
Moderator
I would love to be able to custom scale an EDF for the U2 I have waiting to be built.... Will be watching with great interest! Just got a 3D printer and one of my first projects will be to print a thrust tube for the 64mm EDF in a FT Viggen. I failed miserably at building the cardboard tubes, and it has been sitting on the bench for about 10 months. Want to have it ready to fly by spring.

Cheers!
LitterBug
 

marcibalt

New member
I would love to be able to custom scale an EDF for the U2 I have waiting to be built.... Will be watching with great interest! Just got a 3D printer and one of my first projects will be to print a thrust tube for the 64mm EDF in a FT Viggen. I failed miserably at building the cardboard tubes, and it has been sitting on the bench for about 10 months. Want to have it ready to fly by spring.

Cheers!
LitterBug

To print out a prop successfully you'll have to calibrate your printer to the right resolution. A thrust tube sounds perfect for a first project but remember to take in account all the tolerances. For example some plastics exapnd just a bit when printing and others shrink. You'll just need to experimet. But otherwise good luck with the project.

Cheers!
 
I don't know if you have come across it but the hacksmith on YouTube has tried developing his own edfs. Search for his channel, might be some info there. Also I'm sure if you contact him directly he would be very I terested to hear about your project
 
Also watching with great interest. Having only recently (in the last month or so) dipped my toe into the 3D printing world, I'm amazed at the quality of your print. In addition to watching your progress, I'd love to hear a bit more about your 3D design process and printer.

I'd also love to see a video of this being tested -- I'll bet it has a lovely sound. ;)
 

marcibalt

New member
Also watching with great interest. Having only recently (in the last month or so) dipped my toe into the 3D printing world, I'm amazed at the quality of your print. In addition to watching your progress, I'd love to hear a bit more about your 3D design process and printer.

I'd also love to see a video of this being tested -- I'll bet it has a lovely sound. ;)

3D printing is getting better and better so just keep on developing your skills :) For the design we used autodesk inventor. This is an extremely expensive program if you need a license but because we are doing this mostly for fun we can use the free student license. The printer that we used was a Makerbot replicator 2x. We printed in ABS at about 250°C ant the printing bed was heated to 115°C.

If you want to hear it working there is a .ZIP file at the bottom of the post and in there you can find a short video.

Cheers! :)
 

quorneng

Master member
marcibalt
What you need to measure is the thrust/watt. It really needs to be comparable to an equivalent diameter commercial EDF.
EDFs are power hungry so it does not take much loss in efficiency for it to become requiring an impracticably heavy battery.

The issue of destructive testing is important. What actually happens if a fan does decide to "let go" when at full power.
Printing does not normally give an ideal material composition.