3D Printing and Drones

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This is my first post on DIYdrones, but I am not new to the site or the technology. Like most of you, I have been a drone enthusiast, and have had an interest, as well as some kind of involvement with RC for the past decade. With the new technologies coming out almost on a daily basis, building and flying drones has become easier than ever.

Another technology which I have taken an interest in, and have found to be a great tool to building custom drones is 3D printing. I bought my first printer 7 months ago, and have dove into the technology even more so than drones.

I know many of you own and operate 3D printers and most likely have more experience than I. So, I am not here to preach about how to 3D print or what machines you should be running, but rather to share my experiences with printing drone parts, as well as different materials and settings.

In December I began working for Airwolf 3D, and this has given me access to printing on a daily basis with several machines. So far I have tested 11 materials and have successfully printed with 10. Even though I work for a 3D printing manufacturer, I will remain unbiased as I know there are many capable printers on the market.

I would say that the most reliable and usable material to print with is ABS. Filament quality and color choice plays a big factor here, so please contact me for recommendations. My favorite filament is the ultimachines silver ABS, as it prints well and looks good. I have a very large print bed 12" x 8" x 12," so I am able to print entire frame pieces without piecing stuff together.

Of course I have printed several prototypes of multi-rotor aircraft, but most of them have been scrapped for more favorable designs. Below is my latest print, and I will most likely continue refining this one, and hopefully see it airborne soon.

3689566793?profile=originalI will post more pics as my builds progress, and will also introduce new material and technologies as they have been tested. Please feel free to ask me any questions.

 

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Comments

  • I've been printing brushless gimbals for a few months now on my website, klinkeraerospace.com . There is huge potential for 3D printing, I am excited to see where it goes. 

  • We have a 3D printing group here on the site, already set up for exactly this kind of thing, enjoy!
  • Great looking print

  • I have started designing a small FPV-cable quad and hex frame that I will be making the files available for free. These are inspired by the QAV250 and Blackout frames.

    Here is a test print of a unibody lower level for the quad. There will be 2 upper plates that are vibration isolated. Also making a version with replaceable arms. These are designed for 5" props in mind. So far the strength is about where I want it printing with ABS and 50% infill.

    They will be available from my site hovership.com and thingiverse.com/3rdeyepro/designs

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    Hovership
  • Very cool on the video chat. I will do a walk-through of my facility. We have over 20 printers running at any given time, printing parts for new printers. I can also do some tutorials, etc.

  • I have printed nylon. The printable nylon available unfortunately is far from perfect, but I do use it for certain parts.

    There are several ways to do support material. I find that creating it within your 3D model is the best way.

    I have not personally used these 3 new PLA materials, but I plan to soon and I will post picks of my results. They say it is stiffer than ABS, but I wonder if it is still too brittle.

  • Edit: The CF re-inforced version, I meant.

  • What's the thoughts on PLA?

    http://www.3ders.org/articles/20131027-proto-pasta-adds-three-new-m...

    Proto-Pasta adds three new materials for your desktop 3D printer
    Aaron Cram, a computer scientist, and his brother Dustin Cram has developed three new materials for desktop 3D printers. Carbon Fiber Reinforced PLA,…
  • Hi huys, very interesting subject. I'm looking to buy a 3d printer my self. Have any of you tried nylon with a structure inside of a part (like honey comb, or ribs)?

  • @Tyler, I finally integrated the live chat room into CAD Drones now you we can do text, video, and mass video chats on the site! 

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