Going to the Dark Side: 3D Printing

[mbauer]

Busy week spending money. VasyFan VF-570 = $13,900. 382lbs static thrust 6000rpm Electric Duct Fan,

Tronxy 3D printer arrived yesterday, last box today-total 4-boxes and almost 200lbs.

Priced out purchasing carbon fiber tubing, $9000.

Tronxy Printer is monstrous!
76" long box for the uprights, two boxes 4-ft long:


Big square box with the print bed, yardstick to show scale.



Inventoried everything, it arrived well packaged and protected. Was not able to get free shipping to Alaska by boat. Had to pay for Air, cost an extra $1000 for that. $4750 total so far.

Purchased a 3D handheld scanner, Miraco Pro, that can scan Dave's Lambo. They scanned a fullsize helicopter and then 3D printed a model of it. Scanner has 32gb memory and 8-core processor. Designed to scan big/small items.

Complete new start for a redraw of the airplane, it is done and printed. Printed cardstock at 1/4scale. Thinking will use cardstock again to print a full size model and flight test for stability. Not much bigger than my rocket models from last year. 18ft long fuselage with 13ft 5inch wingspan.

University of Maine 3D, 2018, printed a 25ft long boat in 72-hours, cost approx. $40,000 Boat is called:3Dirago

Mike

[Siwi]

Some people might consider your plans to be utterly bonkers.
Personally, I think they are admirably ambitious, show great initiative and likely will be rather educational for the wider community as well.


I know very little about homebuilt aircraft, but I assume other than 'because we can' there is some durability or weight advantage in using 3d printed CF over wooden or other traditional construction. Maybe it's easier to get precision shapes as well?


I was expecting you'd create a downscaled mockup to test the general arrangement, 'aero' and overall viability of the design.

[paperairforce]

Amazing plans and way beyond my pay grade! Please, pack a parachute I'd have to agree with others, this kind of thing could be of terrific corporate interest somewhere, but otherwise sounds like ultimate fun.

[mbauer]

Originally Posted by Siwi

Some people might consider your plans to be utterly bonkers.
Personally, I think they are admirably ambitious, show great initiative and likely will be rather educational for the wider community as well.


I know very little about homebuilt aircraft, but I assume other than 'because we can' there is some durability or weight advantage in using 3d printed CF over wooden or other traditional construction. Maybe it's easier to get precision shapes as well?


I was expecting you'd create a downscaled mockup to test the general arrangement, 'aero' and overall viability of the design.

Thanks for the comments, Yes Bonkers: pretty sure it is a 99% failure heading my way. Problem is I got curious about that 1%.

Yes, on the precision. 3D printer= .02mm accuracy

Wood and even aluminum does not have the tensile modulus of carbon fiber: It is measured in Millions of Pounds per Square inch. 18.5msi for the tubing. a 74inch long stick weighs less than a pound.

46-pieces of tubing for my project weigh a total of 26.1lbs. [11.8KG] Wood will not work, because the pieces need to be very thin to fit where the carbon goes.

What I'm really saving on is the freight. I will manufacture my parts, the filament will need shipping, they are small spools that ship easy.

The lengths of wood are long, so the dimensional freight is outrageous to Alaska.

You are correct, I have a 25% scale model ready to build. Parts fit, then the full size for flight testing. I've redrawn and printed 4-models so far, not completing any of them. Complete re-draw needed once realize not going to work till doing changes..

1/4 scale will be R/C and launched with my air tank system.

Mike

[mbauer]

Originally Posted by paperairforce

Amazing plans and way beyond my pay grade! Please, pack a parachute I'd have to agree with others, this kind of thing could be of terrific corporate interest somewhere, but otherwise sounds like ultimate fun.

Thank you. Yes, not leaving the ground without a ballistic chute for the aircraft.

Everybody should know:
This project will probably never make it into the air. Might get finished.

To fly it is going to take some serious money for insurance.

Since nobody on this planet has flown an Electric Duct Fan in a full size aircraft, what do you think the insurance will cost? $1,000,000 liability coverage on my RV6 is crazy expensive.

Oh and what about my qualifications to fly an experimental electric jet? I've flown helicopters and airplanes, but never anything like this. To get insurance you need to show flight time experience.

Only option here is to travel to Oshkosh, WI and take the pilot training in a jet powered glider.

I will then need a LODA from the FAA that will allow me to fly small turbine aircraft like the Subsonex. This would be the closest flying aircraft to what I am building.

All of these steps require major $$$$$$$$$$

My best option to get it in the air is to hire an experienced test pilot who has bunches of jet aircraft time logged.

To find someone to climb in and take -off in such a small airplane will be interesting to say the least.

99% failure on this one. Sure wish I could upgrade to 100% and go onto something else. Can't let $17000 go to waste without trying. Curious about that 1% chance. There are options, just don't know what they are yet.

Besides if it don't work, my leaf blower is bigger than yours. 382lbs of static thrust will move a bunch of leaves.

Mike

[Siwi]

I wondered if legal nicities would get in the way. Would it be easier to fly as an RC aircraft? Could the ducted fan have a second life powering a boat or hovercraft?

[mbauer]

Originally Posted by Siwi

I wondered if legal nicities would get in the way. Would it be easier to fly as an RC aircraft? Could the ducted fan have a second life powering a boat or hovercraft?

I'll find a way if the the aircraft passes construction inspections. Once signed off by the FAA, the insurance will be paid if I have to sell my home to get the money, have a collectible 1990 Porsche 944 S2 Cabriolet to sell as well. Sitting in my garage with 91,000 original miles on it.

The ballistic parachute should help with the insurance pricing, if it passes the inspections.

I've seen the pictures of this project in my mind's eye since 1985. Only way to get it gone now is to build it. The duct fan cemented this project.

The Fan is designed for UAV Taxis to haul people around. That is what it is.

Instead of vertical, it will be horizontal for my needs.

Mike