Sharp bends over spar vs. wing ribs

Has the question ever been asked about the reason for most if not all of the wing builds using foam board utilize the method of creasing and sharp angle bending the foam over the spar as opposed to the use of wing ribs?

Other than the obvious answer of simplicity and ease of build, I am at a loss. I guess, coming from the balsa world and EPO foam world where all things are rounded and beautiful, I was wondering if anyone uses wing ribs and molds the foam rather than sharp angle bends to form the airfoil?
 

RMDC

Member
Since most people use a hobby knife on DTFB, it's very difficult to get smooth curves for ribs, and that's before taking time and repetitiveness into account. Personally, I rather like the faceted result; it may not be as aerodynamically perfect, but aesthetically I prefer it to a smooth wing.
 

Tench745

Master member
For the scale of most DTFB builds, the inefficiencies of a folded airfoil aren't much different than a smoother one with ribs. Add in the complexities, etc of cutting multiple ribs and it's a bit of a wash. Can it be done? Sure. The bigger you build the more it's worth it too.
Here's the wing from my Spirit build for example.
IMG_0363.JPG

Most people around here would rather hot-wire cut wings blanks for that pretty curvy look. Me, I prefer built up wings.