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Design. Test. Print. Build. An Aerodynamic RC Plane (Tutorial)

by gocivici on June 1, 2016

Table of Contents

Design. Test. Print. Build. An Aerodynamic RC Plane (Tutorial) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Intro: Design. Test. Print. Build. An Aerodynamic RC Plane (Tutorial) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Step 1: Tools & Parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Step 2: Planning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Step 3: The Wing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

File Downloads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Step 4: Designing The Body . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

File Downloads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Step 5: The Tail of the Plane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

File Downloads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Step 6: Adjustments in Tinkercad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Step 7: The Wind Tunnel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Step 8: Print . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

File Downloads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Step 9: Assembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Step 10: Test Flight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

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Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

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Intro: Design. Test. Print. Build. An Aerodynamic RC Plane (Tutorial)
Recently I saw a few 3d printed RC planes on the internet, since printing the plane body and parts is low cost and the pieces are replaceable it is a great choice to build a
RC plane, but many of those planes had 3D printed parts as the base structure of the plane instead of the whole body. So I thought what If the whole body of the plane
was made of 3D printed parts, and started this project.

In this instructable I'm not just going to give you the .stl files and an assembly guide. I'll try to explain how to:
Design an aerodynamic body using free software(Autodesk 123D, Tinkercad)
Test it in a virtual wind tunnel for drag and performance(Flow Design(Free for students))
Print the body so the outcome is light and stable.

If you just want to print and assemble the model you can skip to Step 8.

Specifications:

Thrust: ~400g
Weight: 400g without battery.
Wing-span: 100cm
67cm long
Chord: 17cm

--IMPORTANT!--
If you are a beginner I do not recommend a 3D printed plane. This plane is built for aerodynamic stability but it can not withstand a crash. A foam based RC plane
is much more stable for a beginner. There is a good instructable by blakehansen99 titled : How to Build Your First RC Plane for Under $100.
I'm not any kind of expert on RC planes, Autodesk 123D, Tinkercad and Flow Design. I've been familiarizing myself with these for the past 2 months or so. I
figured out to use them by trial and error so if you know a better way or if you have any idea for this project feel free to comment or contact me, so I can change
those parts.

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Step 1: Tools & Parts
Thrust:Weight Ratio

One important thing is the thrust:weight ratio. This ratio determines if the plane has the thrust to generate a lift force. I found some ratios for specific type of planes on the
internet:

(min)------------Trainer > 0.3 : 1

(preferred)-----Trainer = 0.8 : 1
(min)--------------Sport > 0.8 : 1
(preferred)-------Sport = 1.3 : 1

This project weights 400 grams without a battery. You can add your battery weight over 400g and then calculate the thrust you need. ex: at 500 grams you will need a
minimum thrust of 150 grams.

I already had an esc, 1400kv hobbyking outrunner motor and a battery lying around so I used them in this project. But these are too much for a trainer plane. So I will give
you an affordable parts list,(you can choose any kind of motor-esc-battery trio as long as the thrust:weight ratio is satisfied.)

20A ESC ? $10.91

Transmitter and Receiver? $23.55

Brushless Motor(400g+ thrust)? $10.45

3S Lipo battery ? $10.79

3S Lipo charger ? $4.65

9g servos(2 pieces for 3ch,3 pieces for 4ch) ? $3.32

Propeller (recommended by the brushless motor)? $2.48

Push Rods ? $1.04

Foam for the wing (avaliable in home depot stores)

TOOLS:

-Hot glue gun

-Soldering Iron and solder

-Duct tape

-Rubber bands

-Super glue

Step 2: Planning
Plane Type

Since we are going to build a plane from scratch, the best thing to do first is to determine what kind of plane that you want to build. Click Here for RC Plane Types

When you decide what kind of plane to build, the next thing to do is to find dimensions of various planes of that kind on the internet.

I decided to build a Trainer model, because it requires much less power to fly, and is easy to control.

I found a really useful website for the Trainer Design click here.

Airfoil

I choose the Clark Y airfoil for my plane because it is designed for slow flights and generates much more lift force. I'm not going into details on how to choose an airfoil.

Here are some helpful links if you are interested in the details:

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=32...

http://exp-aircraft.com/library/heintz/airfoils.ht...(math involved)

If you are going to build a Trainer my recommendation is the Clark Y airfoil. You can browse other airfoils at:

http://airfoiltools.com/ ( If you are going to choose another airfoil for your trainer look for a flat bottom, you will get more lift!)

Sketch

Based on the limits on the photo you can calculate the dimensions and sketch it on a paper. You can also use the dimesions I used.

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Step 3: The Wing
There are different methods to make a wing, after watching this video by Samm Sheperd I decided to use the hot wire method for my plane, because a 3d printed wing is
much more heavier than a foam wing. You can also,

create a wing out of a Foam Board ? http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Make-a-Foam...

If you're building a trainer plane like me, you need an angle for your wings(Dihedral). For a trainer, 3-6 degrees is fine, I created an 4 degree angle airfoil in tinkercad and
hotglued it between the wings. Then I duct taped a rod to top of the wings to make it stable(This is not necessary).

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 Image Notes
1. I secured the foam with duct tape
2. printed the airfoil from my 3d printer and hot glued it to each side of the foam.

Image Notes Image Notes

1. I cut the wing in to 3 pieces the middle piece being 4cm. 1. then I hot glued the other two wing pieces to the airfoil
2. I glued the 4 degree ailerons to the sides of the middle piece with hot glue. 2. I duct taped a rod to hold the angle stable.

File Downloads

4 degree airfoil.stl (173 KB)

http://www.instructables.com/id/Design-Test-Print-Build-an-Aerodynamic-RC-Plane-Tu/
[NOTE: When saving, if you see .tmp as the file ext, rename it to '4 degree airfoil.stl']
Step 4: Designing The Body
IMPORTANT!

First read then check the images and notes.

Since I did not get into the details and basics of 123D Design here are some tutorials to get you started:

Basics(try to watch all 6):

Revolve, sweep, loft :

Basic Aerodynamics : http://adamone.rchomepage.com/index4.htm

Calculating The Factor

To create a thin layer of solid you need to copy paste the sketch you created and than scale it by a factor. Now I will show you how to calculate the factor:

1. Check the dimension of your sketch. Let's say it is a circle and has a diameter of 80mm.
2. Since We need a layer of 1mm the new circle that we scale must be smaller 1mm from each side so the diamater must be 78mm.
3. The factor is calculated by New/Old(78/80) = 0,975

Here is the .123dx file if you want to edit the body in 123D Design. The .stl files for printing are avaliable at step 8.

Image Notes
1. Open 123D Design and start a new project,then click sketch a circle or a
shape you want.

Image Notes
1. I choose 80mm as the body diameter of my plane, try to choose from the
interval determined by the Trainer Design in Step 2.

Image Notes
1. Choose the Polyline, we are going to cut the circle so the wing can be stable.

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 Image Notes
1. Now this is the part of our body under the wing.

Image Notes
1. Select the whole circle and than copy paste(ctrl+c,ctrl+v)
-Then select the scale tool from the Transform menu.
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 -Enter the factor as 0.975.
-This is for creating a thin layer of 1mm for the 3d printer, we don't want a whole
solid body. You can change the factor as you wish,
-Details about the factor is explined down.

Image Notes
1. Again select the whole circle and copy paste,
-After that you can use the up arrow to move the copy to the place you want.

Image Notes
1. I moved it 17cm Because the Wing chord I use is 17cm and this is the part
that attaches to the wing.

Image Notes
1. This part is the motor mount, So it should be around 40mm.
2. Don't forget to create inner circles by calculating the factor,

Image Notes
1. You can create circles or other shapes that you want, to create a base for the
body.

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 Image Notes
1. While holding down Ctrl, repeat for the other circles.

Image Notes
1. Select the area between two circles.

Image Notes
1. Click loft

Image Notes
1. You should get something like this.
-The loft option will create you a solid, But we just want a thin layer of solid, so...

Image Notes
1. while holding down Ctrl choose the inner circle for all circles.
Image Notes
1. Hit loft again and autodesk will automaticly subtract the volume ypu choose
from the body. Now you got a 1mm thin layer.

Image Notes
1. Repeat the steps as you wish with choosing loft,
-you can choose all the sketches and create a loft, but I do not recommend that.
Because it will create curves in places that you want to be flat.
2. I created a small circle a little bit up and 30cm far from the body circle.

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File Downloads

body.123dx (143 KB)

[NOTE: When saving, if you see .tmp as the file ext, rename it to 'body.123dx']
Step 5: The Tail of the Plane
After a few test flights I realized that the tail wing is shaking in high winds(It does not effect the flight). You can use foam if you want for the tail of the plane it will be much
more stable.

Image Notes
1. Click to the area you want to extrude , click the gear icon and then click to
Extrude.

Image Notes
1. Use the polyline tool from the sketch menu.
2. The dimensions for the wing and elevator are in step 1 and 2
3. Leave a hole in the middle so you can glue the rudder.
4. the pieces should not touch each other, we will use duct tape to connect
them

Image Notes
1. 2mm tickness was enough for stability

Image Notes
1. With the same method you can create the rudder
2. Don't forget to add a little piece to the bottom, so you can glue the two together

File Downloads

tail.123dx (51 KB)

[NOTE: When saving, if you see .tmp as the file ext, rename it to 'tail.123dx']

rudder.123dx (56 KB)

[NOTE: When saving, if you see .tmp as the file ext, rename it to 'rudder.123dx']

http://www.instructables.com/id/Design-Test-Print-Build-an-Aerodynamic-RC-Plane-Tu/
Step 6: Adjustments in Tinkercad
We created the body, now we need to:

Create a motor mount for the nose.

Cut the tail for rudder and elevator.

For these adjustments I'm using Tinkercad because it is free and easy to use.

Before going into Tinkercad we need to export our objects to .stl files from 123D Design, Down Arrow>Export as 3D...>STL>Coarse(much easier to process in slic3r)

If you are new to Tinkercad I recommend the tutorials build in. They will give you the basics.

Here is the motor mount I created for a 40mm diameter nose(don't forget to leave a hole for the cables of the motor) :

You can combine this piece with the body in Tinkercad by importing the .stl file and adjusting the piece into place.

Here is the rudder and elevator pieces grouped together so you can use them to open a hole to the tail(See images for details):

Here is the final result, you can select the whole body and click ungroup to make adjustments.

We are finished with the body, now it is time to test the body for drag in Flow Design!

Image Notes
1. Don't forget the hole for motor cables

Image Notes
1. Select the two objects and group them.

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Step 7: The Wind Tunnel
1. Download the body from Tinkercad as .stl file
2. Open Flow Design
3. Import the .stl file

2D

Here is a tutorial on flow lines,

What we are looking for in 2D is the flow circulation behind the object, vortex lines increase drag, so for less drag there should be less flow circulation.

3D

Click on 3D simulation mode. What we are looking for in 3D is the drag coefficient, the lower the drag the more aerodynamic the plane is.

To access the drag data click on Drag Plot, here you can see the average drag coefficient, give some time for the simulation to calculate the average drag(aprox. 20min)

The drag coefficient of this plane is around 0.22

Now you can compare your drag with other objects:

http://web.archive.org/web/20070715171817/http://a...

You can read more on drag:

https://www.grc.nasa.gov/www/k-12/airplane/drag1.h...

https://www.grc.nasa.gov/www/k-12/airplane/dragco....(math involved)

http://physics.info/drag/(math-physics involved)

IF,
There is too much flow circulation behind your plane
The drag is over 1.0

Check the surface of the plane in flow design, you should see the pressured areas as red. These areas should be changed for less drag.
In my example the front of the plane is red, but since it is the motor mount that is normal. If you have any red areas other than the motor mount, you should change your
design.

Image Notes
1. switch between 2D or 3D

http://www.instructables.com/id/Design-Test-Print-Build-an-Aerodynamic-RC-Plane-Tu/
Step 8: Print
I'm using a prusa i3 printer and my printer volume is x=20cm, y=20cm, z=15cm thus I have to cut the body pieces as 15cm parts.

To cut the body and export it into G-code I'm using slic3r It's Opensource and very easy to use,

Slic3r has two modes of operation, Simple and Expert. These may be chosen from the Preferences window (found under the File menu). I'm using the expert mode
because it lets you customize the extrusion width(so you can change the thickness of the body).

If you are new to Slic3er you can read the user manual here: http://manual.slic3r.org/intro/overview

I uploaded the G-code files if you have a similiar printer with me,

Specs of my printer:

Nozzle Diamater: 0.4mm

Dimensions: 20x,20y,15z

Filament Diameter: 1.75mm

Also you can download the .stl files of the pieces. I included all them in the .zip file.

Here are some additional pieces that I created in Tinkercad. We will use them in the next step.

Hinge for the nose:

Landing Gear - Front:

Landing Gear - Rear:

Assembly piece:

All of the pieces are in the "parts.zip" file:

Image Notes
1. Rotate around Y axis, rotation angle:90

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 Image Notes
Image Notes 1. cut to the maximum value of your z axis
1. We have to cut the body in to small pieces

Image Notes Image Notes

1. Rotate around Y axis by 180, it is much easier to print this way 1. At the layer section you can see the wall of our body is around 3 layers thick
this is too much for us, we have to make it one thin layer

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 Image Notes
1. since we created our body 1mm thick in 123D design, a extrusion width of
1.2mm will make the walls 1 layer.

Image Notes
1. Now you can export G-code with your custom printer settings.
2. Repeat this for all body parts

File Downloads

Parts.zip (3 MB)
[NOTE: When saving, if you see .tmp as the file ext, rename it to 'Parts.zip']
Step 9: Assembly
Here is a tutorial by Flite Test on how to connect your electronics:

I used hot glue for the servos and the landing gear, you can also use super glue if you don't plan to use them in another project.

Image Notes
1. Nose part 2

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 Image Notes Image Notes
1. my printer is not calibrated well so there are some problems with the prints. 1. Middle Piece
2. Nose part 1

Image Notes Image Notes

1. glue the back wing to the hole you opened with superglue 1. the hinge for the nose piece
2. make sure they are parpendicular

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 Image Notes Image Notes
1. I glued velcro to each of the nose pieces, the up side is hold by the hinge. 1. Print the assembly piece and glue a m3 nut over the hole
with the velcro you can open and close the nose to change the battery.

Image Notes Image Notes

1. now you can glue these pieces to the body (I used 2 pieces for each body 1. Again use a hot screwdriver to open holes for the push rod (I used a steel
part) wire)
2. Open holes with a hot screwdriver(a lighter will do for heating up) to the other 2. Use duct tape for elevator and rudder. (They should move freely)
pieces, so you can combine them. 3. used superglue

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 Image Notes
1. glue the two servos to the middle piece
2. some velcro tape for the battery, a little bit longer is better, so you can
change the center of gravity.

Image Notes
1. Secure the hinge with a m3 bolt and screw. And glue each side to the nose
2. holded by m3 screws and assemble pieces we glued.

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 Image Notes
1. use a hot screwdriver to open holes for the wooden sticks. These stick will
hold the wing with rubbers

Image Notes
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 1. I used two rubberbands to secure the wing to the body. This way a crash
won't break the wing.

Image Notes
1. I had some tires lying around, you can also 3d print a tire

Step 10: Test Flight

Before going out for a test flight,

You should also balance the plane, if the plane is not balanced it will be hard to control the plane. Watch this tutorial:

While going out, take some rubber bands, and some spare propellers with you. Since the motor is on the nose, it will be easy to break the propeller.

I Hope you enjoyed this Instructable as much as I did :D.

Feel free to ask any questions in the comments!

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