Is there anyone who has experience building end developing 3D printed dorones.
I’m planning on designing a light weight 3d printed drone for hobby use. I’m not going for a fully 3d printed design but rather making a more common design with carbon fiber arms and a center piece and motor mounts. Not a monocoque frame in other words.
It’s going to be fitted with T-motor MT2216-9 1100kv with 12 inch propps on a 3s battery. I’m interested in experience regarding noise levels in the aircraft, vibration and fft analysis of 3d printed designs. Also structural integrity and weight.
If anyone out there has experience in building 3d printed aircraft, I would love to hear what you’ve learned!
Thingiverse has a number of designs. I made a few copies of one based on this design:
I found that the openscad scripts made it easy to adjust it to my needs, like extending the feet to accommodate a payload below, etc. I also really liked the construction from multiple parts, each printed in a way to maximize their strength. I found the strength and rigidity were definitely up to what a CF frame could deliver.
How does these types of multirotor handle vibration?
I know frame flexing is also a thing the autotune algorithm doesn’t like. Even my tarot 650 has some flex in it that causes autotune to not give as good results (at least my theory). That might not be fair towards the 650 since I use 400mm arms and 18inch propps on it
But still, flex can be an issue, how much does these designs flex?
I found my ABS-printed drone to be quite stiff, and vibration was never a problem. Of course, poorly-balanced propellers were always my biggest vibration headache, on these or any other airframe, and after balancing them my vibration levels were well below “clipping” levels.
In particular, the openscad design’s arms are remarkably strong, and I remember seeing a video of someone testing one to failure using deadweight; it made a strong impression on me.