3D Printing Would a tpu nosecone be a good idea?

[zeketrimmer]

I want to print a tpu nosecone for tarc out of 95a tpu so it doesn't break, is that viable?

 

[frogglicker]

hmmmm... I have never thought to do that. I haven't printed with TPU, so I have no frame of reference. The NAR safety code doesn't exclude TPU, so if you're safe and try it with a smaller rocket, it would be interesting to see.

Good luck and report back!

 

[zeketrimmer]

hmmmm... I have never thought to do that. I haven't printed with TPU, so I have no frame of reference. The NAR safety code doesn't exclude TPU, so if you're safe and try it with a smaller rocket, it would be interesting to see.

Good luck and report back!

I mainly want to do it because sometimes our rockets land on pavement and there have been numerous times where our pla and petg nosecones broke on impact. Tpu would just squish and absorb the impact, making it nearly impossible to break on impact

 

[cwbullet]

I mainly want to do it because sometimes our rockets land on pavement and there have been numerous times where our pla and petg nosecones broke on impact. Tpu would just squish and absorb the impact, making it nearly impossible to break on impact

TPU is not a single filament but a variety of filaments of different hardnesses. I have not tried this, but I am certain you can find one that would work.

 

[zeketrimmer]

TPU is not a single filament but a variety of filaments of different hardnesses. I have not tried this, but I am certain you can find one that would work.

I have a roll of esun 95a TPU that arrived in the mail yesterday.

 

[DigBaddy]

I have nothing of value to add on if you should, but I think it would be worthwhile to test printing some with TPU and other materials, and do some basic tests.

Drops/impacts, force required to break off shock cord mounts, epoxy and other adhesive adherence, and how well paint sticks to it, swelling in direct sun, and probably others.

 

[Rschub]

I am looking into making nose cones out of molded urethane or silicone, your idea sounds good. They use TPU to make body armor for motorcycle gear, so just like any 3D printed item, it comes down to the design and execution by you.

 

[RCBrust]

Check out Paul Trainer's videos:

Vid 1
Vid 2
Vid 3

Randy

 

[neil_w]

Apogee already sells foam nose cones for ARC use, so the general concept of a soft nose is not new. Sounds like a good idea to me, provided you can get the print settings dialed in and whatnot.

 

[zeketrimmer]

I am looking into making nose cones out of molded urethane or silicone, your idea sounds good. They use TPU to make body armor for motorcycle gear, so just like any 3D printed item, it comes down to the design and execution by you.

They also use it for phone cases, and the fact that my phone isn't too broken helps

 

[zeketrimmer]

I am looking into making nose cones out of molded urethane or silicone, your idea sounds good. They use TPU to make body armor for motorcycle gear, so just like any 3D printed item, it comes down to the design and execution by you.

They also use it for phone cases, and the fact that my phone isn't too broken reassures this

 

[thzero]

I want to print a tpu nosecone for tarc out of 95a tpu so it doesn't break, is that viable?

No

 

[zeketrimmer]

No

Why?

 

[zeketrimmer]

I have nothing of value to add on if you should, but I think it would be worthwhile to test printing some with TPU and other materials, and do some basic tests.

Drops/impacts, force required to break off shock cord mounts, epoxy and other adhesive adherence, and how well paint sticks to it, swelling in direct sun, and probably others.

It doesnt eject from The nosecone

 

[thzero]

Why?

Why opinion based on looking at the specs.

Yes, it'd have some more flexibility that PLA/PETG does not.

However, go perform the experiments. There are a variety of compounds out there like cwbullet said, but not all of them are readily available or even printable on all hobby printers.

 

[zeketrimmer]

hmmmm... I have never thought to do that. I haven't printed with TPU, so I have no frame of reference. The NAR safety code doesn't exclude TPU, so if you're safe and try it with a smaller rocket, it would be interesting to see.

Good luck and report back!

I did two launches, first one was perfect, I did a line of best fit in desmos to give me a general mass for the rocket, put it in the nosecone, and then it cato'd second launch

But the nosecone does work

 

[zeketrimmer]

Apogee already sells foam nose cones for ARC use, so the general concept of a soft nose is not new. Sounds like a good idea to me, provided you can get the print settings dialed in and whatnot.

Rocket did good first launch, then it faced the wrath of a defective motor

 

[zeketrimmer]

It doesnt eject from The nosecone

Doesnt have too, the rocket seperates at a lower point

 

[zeketrimmer]

I am looking into making nose cones out of molded urethane or silicone, your idea sounds good. They use TPU to make body armor for motorcycle gear, so just like any 3D printed item, it comes down to the design and execution by you.

The tpu adds flexibility in the design because it is resilient to compressive and impact loads. *no pun intended*

 

[frogglicker]

I did two launches, first one was perfect, I did a line of best fit in desmos to give me a general mass for the rocket, put it in the nosecone, and then it cato'd second launch

But the nosecone does work

Ouch! However, I am glad that the TPU worked for you. I love that you did the experiment.