What do you 3D print?

[mdcerdan]

mdcerdan
In my experience it is 'whole planes' that benefit from 'professional' standard printers. They have more rigid frames and tracks so the highest accuracy can be maintained over the whole print volume.
Small parts are not a problem for the low end printers after all they use the same stepper motors so the accuracy and repeatability over shorter distances is just as good.
Any 3D printing take some understanding and experience to get reliable results. In general it is not as simple as 'load the file and print' unless you are simply repeating an already successful and recent print!

My philosophy is print small parts and stick them together if you want bigger, like this tissue & dope covered electric powered RC glider.
View attachment 205445
A very conventional build with ribs, spar, leading and trailing edges but every part (over 40) is individually printed and stuck together just the same as if it were in balsa.
Even the fuselage has 9 individual bits. Only the tail boom is a bought item.
1000 mm span, well under 250g ready to go and all done using my budget 'self assemble' Anet A8 printer.

Nice plane Quorneng!
I made a couple more pod and boom 2 meter gliders but I only 3d print the pod and a few other minor pieces like the antenna mount, nose cone and pushrod guides. The wing are made of styrofoam and covered with paper and laminating film.

 

[quorneng]

mdcerdan
Continuing the printed parts theme this is by far my most complex to date.
The fuselage formers, wing ribs and ducted fan nacelles for this.

All Depron skinned. The inside of the fuselage.

To fit the printer bed most of the formers are made up of four pieces.
The wing ribs are multi piece as well for the same reason.

I haven't counted up all the printed bits but it is at least a couple of hundred.
Big and light It actually flies pretty well.

 

[mdcerdan]

mdcerdan
Continuing the printed parts theme this is by far my most complex to date.
The fuselage formers, wing ribs and ducted fan nacelles for this. View attachment 205475
All Depron skinned. The inside of the fuselage.
View attachment 205476
To fit the printer bed most of the formers are made up of four pieces.
The wing ribs are multi piece as well for the same reason.
View attachment 205477
I haven't counted up all the printed bits but it is at least a couple of hundred.
Big and light It actually flies pretty well.

Wow! Awesome

 

[jpot1]

I have a roil on hand I haven't opened yet... Care to share your settings?
Is it similar to the LWPLA?

Similar to LW-PLA but prints much slower. I used 240 degrees at 25mm/s with 60% flow rate. 0 retraction because that flexible material caught in the extruder with even the smallest retraction amount. For the tire it has 2 walls and 10% infill resulting in a tire with squish.

 

[mrjdstewart]

designed and printed camera mount for my new FPV race wing design.

was feeling pretty proud of myself until i saw that Antonov a few posts above.

laters,

me

 

[leaded50]

Todays rant!! : why cant people that share files , share as the type it is about? ( as on thingiverse, yeggi, stl finder)Thats something seen many times before in other stuff. But now, also by 3D print files.. you can search for a wheel, and guaranteed you get lamps, figures of people, monsters, and so on..
GRRRR!!

 

[Robert S]

My first TPU Rubber tire.

 

[Robert S]

designed and printed camera mount for my new FPV race wing design.
:

I like it. Is it on thingiverse yet?

 

[jpot1]

Printing an Me163 by japim over on rcgroups. Attention to detail is unreal. Printing from eSun LW-PLA. Empty airframe targeting 230g.

 

[Robert S]

Is the eSUN LW-PLA a foaming material like the colorfabb?

 

[kilroy07]

Printing an Me163 by japim over on rcgroups. Attention to detail is unreal. Printing from eSun LW-PLA. Empty airframe targeting 230g.
<Snip>

Man, that is cool! If I didn't literally have a dozen projects laying about (1/3 3D printed!) I would be all over this. Please post the maiden or let us know your thoughts on it.

Have you tried the Colorfabb LWPLA too? (If so, how does the eSun compare?)

 

[jpot1]

@Robert S - yes this is a foaming lw-pla just like colorfabb.

@kilroy07 - Still new to the eSun as this is my first model using that material. I have used about 3 rolls of colorfabb.

So my $0.02

- Price- definitely better with the eSun. I think I paid $48 on Amazon for a full 1kg roll vs $54 for Colorfabb which is ~750g

- Foaming - I’m seeing very similar foaming thickness at the same temps between the two materials both at 50% flow rate

- Finish - the eSun leaves occasional brown blobs on your print. I think it’s extra material collecting on the nozzle heating up and eventually falling off. I also get a bunch of fine threads hanging off my prints. Nothing like either of those with Colorfabb. However since it sands so well, a couple of swipes and it cleans up nicely.

- Color - no real preference but they are definitely different with the eSun being more off white.

- Details - I think the eSun sands nicer and overall seems to be more crisp on the details like panel lines.

I‘m hoping to try the new stuff from 3D lab print soon.

I’ll definitely post maiden on YouTube and try and remember to link it back here. My channel is below and I have several other 3D printed models with video.
https://youtube.com/channel/UCiN0m4dxK0Fub_nGdw9zhJg

 

[kilroy07]

@Robert S - yes this is a foaming lw-pla just like colorfabb.

@kilroy07 - Still new to the eSun as this is my first model using that material. I have used about 3 rolls of colorfabb.

So my $0.02
<snip>

AWESOME info, thanks for that!
I've had good experience with the colorfabb stuff, but you're right, you almost have to buy 4+ rolls of the stuff to make shipping worthwhile...

Your comments will probably have me picking up a roll (or two) of eSun soon.

 

[jpot1]

AWESOME info, thanks for that!
I've had good experience with the colorfabb stuff, but you're right, you almost have to buy 4+ rolls of the stuff to make shipping worthwhile...

Your comments will probably have me picking up a roll (or two) of eSun soon.

Check out 3daeroventures.com. When he has it in stock if you buy two rolls of Colorfabb it’s free shipping.

 

[F106DeltaDart]

I have been 3D printing a 500 size SA 341 Gazelle Fuselage for one of my helis out of PLA. Also ended up modifying the tail section to use a direct motor driven tail to simulate the fenestron on the real aircraft. Here’s a few photos of the fuselage and the fenestron testbed, as well as the scheme I’m planning to finish it in.

 

[jpot1]

@kilroy07 - have it all together. 560g with a 3s 1300.

 

[kilroy07]

@kilroy07 - have it all together. 560g with a 3s 1300.

View attachment 212376

You're just taunting me now aren't you?!

 

[jpot1]

You're just taunting me now aren't you?!

@kilroy07
If you were thinking about printing this, I would highly recommend. Easy hand launch and it tracked really well. Floated in for an easy landing. I’m painting mine now.

 

[Aslansmonkey]

I'd like to thank the above two spammers (both reported) for dragging this old post to the surface.

ON topic, I have a Monoprice Maker Select V2 and an Ender 5 Pro Plus 3D printer currently and have owned others in the past. I routinely print my own control horns, firewalls and other such components as well as any detail pieces I think I might want (exhaust stacks). I also print pilots for open cockpit planes.

I've also printed entire planes using lightweight PLA (colorfabb, which is foaming, and Polymaker, which does not foam).

I mean, I print a LOT more than that. I've designed several model rockets using 3D printed parts (many based on Pringles cans). And basically, if I need something, I tend to think about whether I can design and 3D print it first.