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3D Printed Airframe

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aharonwe

New Member
Joined
Mar 31, 2017
Messages
3
Location
Bonita Springs, Fl. USA
I have been thinking about building a Cozy Mark IV and, also being a bit of a techie, have been noticing the capabilities of 3D printing technology. There are plans for 3D printers with relatively large dimensions (5' high printing capacity, although the width leaves a bit to be desired), for printers which can use carbon fiber and fiberglass. My guess is that it would cost about $2k to build a large acurate printer. It can't be hard to hack one to be larger. They use a simple coordinate system and its just a mater of defining the coordinates to an acceptible deviation and using accurate stepper motors, gears, and cables. Has anyone here had any experience with 3D Printed fiber materials? I can't seem to find any technical specifications on the finished materials. There are also metal printers which can mold aluminum so a BD-4C would also be feasible if the material strength is up to par. I'm not really thinking that this would save build time but for some reason I just have an itch to try it. I would think that the finished product would be more accurate to plans and be a more streamlined aircraft. What are your thoughts or if anyone has any data on the strength of printed vs. hand laid materials I would love input.

Thanks,

Aharon
 
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