3D Printing What did you 3D Print Today?

[thzero]

BT-20 based rocket for 18mm motors. Comes in at 1.96oz which surprised me, but once I got the slicing to give me a single wall. Not the best pic, but still. Has built shock chord mount inside the main tube. And of course molded in rail guide.

I still have some issues with the printing where the tip of the root edge of the fin meets the body; thinking using some of the BL's slicer (aka Prusa) variable height layer to help with it. But overall thought it turned out decent - enough to go put a motor in it and send it skyward.

Oh printed in eSun PLA Pro Plus.... if it works, etc, etc. probably switch to using different colored PETG, maybe even some of the colored translucent.

 

[thzero]

Was going to go try RocketScientistAustralia's fin can generator to see about generating some different fin cans for it at some point.

 

[Doug Holverson]

I'm printing up a fleet of model Zed spaceships for Memorial Day tributes for family and John Carroll. It's also sort of bringing things full circle because it's based on a spaceship that I whipped up nearly 50 years ago as a freshman in high school back in '75-6. Now I have something nifty that I can hold and feel. It's a wee bit inspired by the X-24 Bug with the canopy by the vacuum-fromed ones on the later Centuri Space Shuttles. There may have been some cryptomnesia concerning a certain Studebaker that looks like a spaceship to overly excitable boys.....

 

[thzero]

I'm printing up a fleet of model Zed spaceships for Memorial Day tributes for family and John Carroll. It's also sort of bringing things full circle because it's based on a spaceship that I whipped up nearly 50 years ago as a freshman in high school back in '75-6. Now I have something nifty that I can hold and feel. It's a wee bit inspired by the X-24 Bug with the canopy by the vacuum-fromed ones on the later Centuri Space Shuttles. There may have been some cryptomnesia concerning a certain Studebaker that looks like a spaceship to overly excitable boys.....

How do they fly?!

 

[Doug Holverson]

I guess you could toss them off a roof....

 

[frogglicker]

Well, let's see. The printer has been running non-stop for a week now. Lots of Mother's Day prints but these are the rocket-related ones:

• 3" Goblin Nosecone ::It's actually a Red Max but don't tell anyone::
• 3" Goblin Fin Sleeve
• 3" Goblin Fin 2x (one shown)
• 3 centering rings for 38mm MMT
• Motor retainer and ring for previous MMT
• Runcam2 mount (draft mode)
• 3 "Phil A. Ment" Astronauts minis (googlie eyes were extra)
• The BetaMax, an Alpha-inspired rocket. It contains a 3D Printed fin can, motor retainer, baffle, nose cone, and launch lug. The only parts that aren't from the printer are the 24mm body tube and the 18mm motor sleeve to reduce heat damage.

I keep asking myself, How did I exist all this time without a 3D printer... hmmm, oh well... never look back.

Have a great weekend everyone.

 

[thzero]

I keep asking myself, How did I exist all this time without a 3D printer... hmmm, oh well... never look back.

LOL... a truer statement...

 

[thzero]

• The only parts that aren't from the printer are the 24mm body tube and the 18mm motor sleeve to reduce heat damage.

I decided not to use a motor sleeve in the LPR, not sure that it will cause that much warping. We'll see! Certainly my bigger rockets that have 3D printed mountings use a cardboard motor sleeve. So if it ends up needing one for LRP, we'll just adjust the CAD parameters and reprint!

 

[thzero]

A few different fin designs with just some parameter changes. Can go up to X fins, but on Bt-20 size 7 seems to be the upper limit. I did notice I have to do some more maths to deal with the launch lug placement since on fin counts that aren't 4, its off center.

 

[frogglicker]

I decided not to use a motor sleeve in the LPR, not sure that it will cause that much warping. We'll see! Certainly my bigger rockets that have 3D printed mountings use a cardboard motor sleeve. So if it ends up needing one for LRP, we'll just adjust the CAD parameters and reprint!

My first test showed significant heat warping even with PLA +. I switched to using a thin sleeve and that took care of that problem. I love this design you have going.

 

[thzero]

My first test showed significant heat warping even with PLA +. I switched to using a thin sleeve and that took care of that problem. I love this design you have going.

So has a successful launch. Worked great. However... I'm not sure it was significant, but certainly heat effected thing that a new motor does not slide in.

While a sleeve should resolve it, was think of printing slightly bigger tube and since it's friction fit already using masking tape top and bottom to take up slack. Then there is also an air gap there too.

 

[rharshberger]

Ordered a new hotend cooling fan and silicone hotend socks for my Creality CR-10v2. After 3 years and lots of use the 40mm heatbreak cooler was making ugly noises. Its a $4.50 part and its soon to be on its way.

 

[thzero]

Posted on Thingiverse my LPR design...

Low Power 3D Printable Rockets by thzero

A simple 3D model rocket for low power model rocket motors, class A through C,, for use with 1/8th launch rods. Print with ABS recommended or material with a higher deflection temp. Other parts can be printed in PLA, PETG or ABS. NOTE These can be at best one shot rockets due to the heat...

www.thingiverse.com

 

[Bravo52]

Posted on Thingiverse my LPR design...

Low Power 3D Printable Rockets by thzero

A simple 3D model rocket for low power model rocket motors, class A through C,, for use with 1/8th launch rods. Print with ABS recommended or material with a higher deflection temp. Other parts can be printed in PLA, PETG or ABS. NOTE These can be at best one shot rockets due to the heat...

www.thingiverse.com

Something didn't work right. The link gives the dreaded "404" screen and when I went over to your site on Thingiverse, there were only 3 designs with none being an LPR design...

 

[thzero]

Something didn't work right. The link gives the dreaded "404" screen and when I went over to your site on Thingiverse, there were only 3 designs with none being an LPR design...

Weird.... went and republished it again, seems to work now.

 

[cwbullet]

I am printing my next build. This one is an old one but a good one. I will post photos today.

 

[thzero]

Was trying for a payloader for a C, then ended up with a D (barely with a small payload) and into E and Fs. :\

 

[Long_Gone]

Currently @11:36PM waiting on a test BT-20 ogive NC from my new Volelab Proxima 6, 4K SLA printer. The test deer came out awesome so I tried a nose cone that I designed and have been using. We got 30 mins till it gets cleaned and hardened. Fingers crossed.

 

[Long_Gone]

Currently @11:36PM waiting on a test BT-20 ogive NC from my new Volelab Proxima 6, 4K SLA printer. The test deer came out awesome so I tried a nose cone that I designed and have been using. We got 30 mins till it gets cleaned and hardened. Fingers crossed.

Well I am still playing with it but it works very well. I need to design for SLA printing because of the liquid nature and draining it out of prints by design.

 

[OverTheTop]

Just fired up the printer to print some cases for some mini spectrometers that our work-experience students build. Arduino-based and very simple demonstration of the absorption spectroscopy method, done using an RGB LED and a CdS cell on the Arduino Uno.

 

[thzero]

Was trying for a payloader for a C, then ended up with a D (barely with a small payload) and into E and Fs. :\

Launched this yesterday with a 1.5oz simulated payload on an Estes E12-6 (which didn't blow up at the pad unlike some other E12s). Overall the flight went well with a good upwards trajectory, and then the descent did well except I didn't quite get the fit right and it ejected the motor at ejection, but the parachute still came out.


View attachment Untitled design.mp4




Recovery was successful too... alas it would not have passed a Level 1 test as can be seen in the next set of photos. The entire rocket was printed out of eSun PLA+, and while the smaller 18mm motors seem to work fine with the ejection charge, the bigger E12s caused some melting. Additionally the insides of the motor tube we melted/buckled slightly again just the larger amount of heat from the E12s





Trying today at another launch a PETG printed booster, with a BT-50 liner, and a body tube in PETG and see how that goes.

 

[Long_Gone]

Yeah I don't recommend printing tubes I just use the regular body tubes and either make a slip-on fin can or laser cut fins and just use 3D printed parts like nose cones and transitions and couplers

 

[thzero]

Yeah I don't recommend printing tubes I just use the regular body tubes and either make a slip-on fin can or laser cut fins and just use 3D printed parts like nose cones and transitions and couplers

Yeah... that is a good way to go. This was an attempt to see if it could be done, but the laws of thermodynamics with plastic structures that were melted to be formed from filament just don't hold up that well in this environment.

I can say that I tried some updates yesterday with the payloader

• Liner in motor tube
  • This seemed to show good success and no real heat damage, and the motor was able to removed and a new one inserted without issue.
• PETG lower recovery bay
  • Unfortunately same result.
  • After some discussion at the field, there were some ideas to try
    • Using a liner.
      • Cardboard tubing, card stock, etc.
    • Printing with other material
      • ABS
        • Maybe this will be slightly better, but really the deflection temp is not that much higher than PETG, i.e. ~78C to ~64C (depending on manufacturer's specs)
      • Other such as Nylon-CF
        • If manufacturer specs are to be believed, its got a really high deflection temp around 200C.
• Lengthening the recovery bay
  • For the amount of BP used in the E motor for ejection charge, would this give more volume for gas to expand into.
  • Probably works best with conjunction of one or both the above.

So we'll see...

 

[Long_Gone]

I have had excellent luck with PLA, LWPLA,PETG and SLA printed parts for strength and durability. I have a large fincan for a Enerjet 1340 clone made from PETG that JackHydrazine made and it works very well. of course this is a slipover fincan. Many D and E flights. The nosecone and payload coupler are PETG. the tubes are leftover from vinyl cutting are NOT the lightest but they work.

 

[SolarYellow]

I've given up on model airplane heat shrink covering on body tubes due to melting. Even on BT-55 and BT-60, it gets wrinkly in the inches above the motor mount. On a short, MD BT-20 rocket, the covering on the outside of the body tube up by the nose cone had holes burned in it from the ejection flame (plus remaining delay grain) of an A8-5.

 

[Long_Gone]

I've given up on model airplane heat shrink covering on body tubes due to melting. Even on BT-55 and BT-60, it gets wrinkly in the inches above the motor mount. On a short, MD BT-20 rocket, the covering on the outside of the body tube up by the nose cone had holes burned in it from the ejection flame (plus remaining delay grain) of an A8-5.

Yea I avoid that also, actually never went there at all. Rockets are too extreme for delicate covering such as monokote.

 

[SolarYellow]

Yea I avoid that also, actually never went there at all. Rockets are too extreme for delicate covering such as monokote.

It sure was faster to apply, especially in multi-colored schemes with precise edges, than painting. And the plastic coating certainly does more to reinforce the thin cardboard tubes than paint, same as when applied to model airplanes. That is, unless it's melted by fire...

 

[John Kemker]

So far, I've printed the Elegoo Buddha that came with my Neptune 3 Plus, and am in the middle of printing a Benchy. Next up is some rocketry related parts using PETG.

 

[Long_Gone]

Nice, I am looking at some mailing tubes here and envisioning a big alpha scratch build for 24 or 29mm motors............with 3d printed parts and lased out bass ply.

 

[thzero]

Nice, I am looking at some mailing tubes here and envisioning a big alpha scratch build for 24 or 29mm motors............with 3d printed parts and lased out bass ply.

Did something like that...

2.63" (formerly 3" Mailing) Tube Printed Rocket

Because I'm on a 3d printing kick decided to do something different, and just because. No performance, etc. goals. This is going to use a 3" mail tube with the nose cone, fins, etc. printed out of PETG and bolted together. Capture of the three part nose cone, its simply too long for my...

www.rocketryforum.com