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3D Robotics

Laser cut your own ArduCopter replacement parts

Posted by Chris Anderson on February 19, 2011 at 10:00am

3689390184?profile=originalI keep breaking my ArduCopter arches, so rather than order replacements, I just laser cut my own through Ponoko. I've uploaded the design, so you can do it too.  Select 3mm clear acrylic, P1 size. It should cost $8.20 plus shipping for the four arches shown above. Note that these are laser cut, not CNC milled, so they don't have the notch on the side that fits snugly on the arms. But they work fine all the same.

 

Thanks to Sandro Benigno, you can also order a set of five replacement dome rings, as shown here:

3689390236?profile=originalAll the other parts are in the ArduCopter repository, but need to be converted to SVG format to laser cut. If you see something you'd like to make, let me know and I'll convert and upload it to Ponoko. Most can be laser cut as easily as CNC milled, but in some cases you might need to do a little finishing work, like counter-sinking some holes. No biggie...

 

UPDATE:

 

I've added the Main Square:


3689390248?profile=original

 

And the Legs:

 

3689390286?profile=original

And the carrier board:

3689390197?profile=original

 

 

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Comments

  • Erwin Choy July 11, 2014 at 3:54am

    Does anyone have the latest CAD files for Arducopter - quad version?

    I am looking for the B/C version

  • Shamir November 8, 2011 at 1:50pm

    Anyone know where I can find the hexa drawings?

     

    Thanks.

  • Brian Bedwell October 2, 2011 at 8:10am

    None of the DXF files will load in Autocad. How do I get them to work?

  • SciFly April 11, 2011 at 5:06pm
    Being on a state university campus, I have access to a SOTA machine shop for cost (=-P) and I need new parts. Im a bit concerned about the acrylic, as a recent bump  clearly identified that the plastic bolts (when in parallel) are a bit stronger than the acrylic motor mounts. So that the bolts break instead (as I beleive they are intended), I've upped the plate strength by using polycarbonate sheets from McMaster. I chose 3/16" for the upper motor mount and 0.118" sheets (and here) for the lower mount.You can also order these M3x25 mm replacement bolts. I opted to change out the steel bolts for cut aluminum ones. You could even change out the steel or Al bolts for plastic ones, at least on the smaller motors. That way you can preserve your motor shafts.
  • Developer
    Jani Hirvinen March 20, 2011 at 10:41am

    We are currently looking a partner that could do CF parts. We already have a good partners that does Laser cut for Acrylic and CNC for Fiberglass. If you need anything special. Contact us at jDrones.

     

    Also we are trying to get one laser cutter that could be used to cut customer designs too.
    jDrones, UAV's and more
    R/C UAV and ArduCopter manufacturer and one stop shop. We make your FPV come true.
  • Kári Davíðsson March 7, 2011 at 2:01am
    Pig Pilot : Do you know of any service (maybe like ponoko) that cuts/cnc e.g. carbon fiber boards?
  • Simon Arthur March 6, 2011 at 9:23am
    At the risk of being too self-promotional, Big Blue Saw also offers Acetal  (Delrin), polycarbonate, and aluminum.
  • 3D Robotics
    Chris Anderson March 6, 2011 at 8:14am
    Alex, yes, you could use ply. But it will break in a crash and it's kind of a hassle to take everything apart to replace it. Better to use a stronger or more flexible material. Ponoko offers Delrin, which is more flexible than Acrlin and seems to be pretty unbreakable. It's more expensive, but worth trying.
  • Moderator
    Alex March 6, 2011 at 7:25am
    Would plywood work for the main square replacement parts? I dont mind so much if they break in a bad crash, just would like to buy them from ponoko as its fast and cheap to get replacement parts in a hurry
  • Developer
    Jani Hirvinen March 6, 2011 at 6:55am

    No, you need to use fiberglass or your quad might break in air. We are starting to make these all parts with laser cut. Parts will start to flow in 1 week or so.

     

    Also you should not make Arches/Fin's from acryl due it's not "strong" enough. Original Arches/Fin's are made from polycarbonate that can take bending and hits.

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