Eclipson Model C build

[Robert Rundle 1]

I thought the experience as I print and construct the Eclipson Model C might be useful to people. Not sure how long its going to take, but will post updates as the printing and build progresses

 

I chose the Eclipson as I am currently flying a Wot4 and wanted to have a different high wing plane in the stable, but also something that would be a little different. I have looked at both www.eclipson-airplanes.com and 3dlabprint.com, but settled on Model C for this first print and build. 

 

I purchased ColorFabb LW-PLA for the filament and have a Flashforge Guider II printer. 

 

The model C files all look pretty good and there is a printing parameters plan that goes with it, so all looks pretty self explanatory. I do think the 3dlabprint models come with a more comprehensive build booklet. But I'll see just how well its goes with what comes from Eclipson. I havent purchased the electronics yet, as I wanted to see how the print progressed first, but hopefully will source suitable alternatives in the UK from those listed on the Eclipson website. 

 

First steps in the process have been ensuring the printer is setup correctly and calibrating against the LW-PLA. It foams, so the hotter the nozzle the greater the expansion and bigger the layer path. I used the ColorFabb website post as a basis for this https://learn.colorfabb.com/print-lw-pla/

 

You can see from the pic, the squares and cubes printed. 

 

Now that the printer is ready, I will start on the first prints of the plane, not sure which piece to start with, but will see how it goes.

[Robert Rundle 1]

First two parts to the plane printed, certainly happy with the outcome, they fit nicely together. Some post printing work required to get rid of the stringing and maybe some gentle sanding on the curved edges. 

 

The finish on the filament is matt effect and does feel like it will need painting to give a smoother airflow across the surface. But that might just be a perception thing. 

 

I will print a couple of the smaller part shown in the picture. So I can try some different finishes and check the weight. 

[Robert Rundle 1]

Just by way of a little hint, it was suggested to me not to have any Retraction set, as there is a risk of clogging with LW-PLA. All of the calibration and prints have been without retraction. It probably leads to a slight more cleanup at the end, but so far everything running fine with the prints. 

[Graham Davies 3]

Watching with interest Robert!

 

Since 'the great balsa shortage of 2020-21', I've been taking a lot of interest in alternative methods of creating model aircraft. So far, I've 3D printed cowls, but there are huge possibilities here.

 

Graham

[Robert Rundle 1]

1 hour ago, Graham Davies 3 said:

Watching with interest Robert!

 

Since 'the great balsa shortage of 2020-21', I've been taking a lot of interest in alternative methods of creating model aircraft. So far, I've 3D printed cowls, but there are huge possibilities here.

 

Graham

For a £30 reel of filament, which will cover the build of this plan probably twice, it will definitely be an interesting test and learning expereince. i am just a hobbyist with the 3D printer, so its a learning curve for me as well. 

 

If all goes well, I have a raft of other planes I want to print, so probably need to learn to fly a bit better first ?

 

But I do think, that for this hobby to survive further, it has to embrace new routes to plane building. Youngsters are less interested in balsa and covering films, but show them it printed, painted and flying..

[Graham Davies 3]

Yes, agree.

 

I'm somewhere between traditional and new-tech. Balsa and ply are great materials, but others exist. I'm thinking to use the most appropriate material for the application is still a good rule.

 

I'm thinking of 3D printed ribs with foamboard wing skins and balsa/ ply spars. Possibly carbon. Certainly 3D printed fuselage formers would make for really accurate builds.

 

A bit of imagination and ingenuity will go a long way here!

 

Graham

[Simon Chaddock]

Robert

I look forward to you posts.

Is your printer happy to print at elevated temperatures? I note many give a warning that printing above 250C can lead to problems with Teflon feed tubes.

I note ColorFab indicate the maximum foaming occurs at 280C. What temperature are printing at? 

Edited April 1, 2022 by Simon Chaddock

[Robert Rundle 1]

On 01/04/2022 at 15:34, Simon Chaddock said:

Robert

I look forward to you posts.

Is your printer happy to print at elevated temperatures? I note many give a warning that printing above 250C can lead to problems with Teflon feed tubes.

I note ColorFab indicate the maximum foaming occurs at 280C. What temperature are printing at? 

Simon,

I'm printing at 240C. I don't have the hot end extruder on my printer yet, so the max it will go to at present is the 240C. Once I have done this plane, will swap out the normal extruder for the hotter one. 

At this current temp I was getting at 1mm off .4mm nozzle and through extrusion ration getting it down to .5mm. 

[Simon Chaddock]

I wonder if at 240 C you might end up a bit heavier than ideal, particularly if the actual foaming temperature is any lower than the nozzle temperature.

According to this web site 240 C is only just approaching the maximum foaming ratio. 250 would give a bit more temperature tolerance.

It will be interesting to see how the final weighs compare.

I am sure a 'foaming' filament is the way to go for aircraft printing. 

[Robert Rundle 1]

Progress is being made. I havent done any clean up on the parts yet, but generally the prints are coming out well and should with a bit of light sanding should be nice. Test fits without cleanup are ok, tight as to be expected, but everything is lining up.

 

I did get a blockage on the printer nozzle. I tried turning the retraction on to .5mm, but I just dont think it agreed with it. Nozzle unblocked and retraction back off. 

 

I have had one failed print, which was the first flaperon I tried printing, but that may have been due to the blockage. 

 

I ordered the power train components from 4-max, using the eclipson website recommendations to get as close as I could. They all arrived quickly, which I am not needing just yet, but thought to get ahead. I also popped in to Mantua Models my LMS to grab all the other fixtures and fittings. I have also ordered the lightweight TPU for the wheels, and PETG for motor mounts.  

 

I also came across some flight experiences on other forums, there is apparently the likelihood that the wings fold during flight. So I have purchased some 5mm x 1mm carbon strip to glue into the wings, just to give a little strength, especially at the root. 

[Robert Rundle 1]

I am still printing at 240C, once all the components are completed, I will do a weight test to see overall weight pre-assembly. 

 

I did have contemplate, whilst sorting the blockage in the nozzle out, to swap out the hot end for the high temp version, but decided to keep it simple for now and consistent and then do some more filament tests later and add to the calibration set. 

[Simon Chaddock]

Robert

I did wonder about the wings just relying on the foam.

Is the filament direction along the length span? It is quite a bit stronger if it can be done like that although possibly the effect is less noticeable with a foaming filament..  

[Andy Stephenson]

I am surprised that there is no carbon reinforcement specified for the wings. The model R I put together would fall to bits in the air without this.

The Pitts 12s relies on bracing wires because it's a bipe but a monoplane without some wing support seems a bit iffy to me.

[Barryorbik]

I looked doing this too, but the length of time for the 3D printing on my Ender 3 Pro put me off the idea.  How many hours/days has yours taken so far Robert?

[Robert Rundle 1]

On 09/04/2022 at 16:30, Barryorbik said:

I looked doing this too, but the length of time for the 3D printing on my Ender 3 Pro put me off the idea.  How many hours/days has yours taken so far Robert?

I haven't fully kept count of the hours, but probably somewhere around 40. I just set the printer going and leave it to it. I'm not in a crazy rush to get it done, so speed is not of the essence. 

[Robert Rundle 1]

On 09/04/2022 at 10:45, Simon Chaddock said:

Robert

I did wonder about the wings just relying on the foam.

Is the filament direction along the length span? It is quite a bit stronger if it can be done like that although possibly the effect is less noticeable with a foaming filament..  

Simon, there is nothing specified for re-enforcement. But certainly lots of people suggest its necessary. 

The wing pieces are printed vertically,  so the filament effectively wraps around the wing. 

Hopefully the carbon rod I put in, will help the strength and keep it intact 

[Barryorbik]

I downloaded the sections for one wing and Cura came back with 11.5 hours for the smallest section, and that was using some of the speed up suggestions from "Filament Fridays" Youtube channel.

I have successfully printed replacement cowls for my H/K Cessne 182 and 42" Wilga 2000, but even those took well over 12 hours to print.

 

A friend has a resin printer, which does seem to print quicker and with a better finish than the filament types.

 

Looking forward to seeing photographs of your finished Eclipson.

 

Barry

[Robert Rundle 1]

Thought it was about time for another update. 

 

As you can see, I have made a bit of progress, but just not had the time in the workshop recently. 

 

All of the major components have now been glued together, I have been using Medium CA which works a treat, especially with some kicker. I have discovered my glueing skills arent great, so had some cleanup post glue. But nothing some dcent sandpaper didnt take care off. 

 

The wing proved most challenging, with four of the 5 section lined up prefectly and the fifth with a slight angle, but nothing too horrible. You might notice in the picture, that I have added extra support into the wings. I purchased some 5mm x 1mm carbon rod and glued it in, top and bottom of the wing. Hopefully this will reduce any likelilhood of it folding in on itself. 

 

I rubbed each surface down with some 800/1200 snadpaper, just to smooth it all off a bit; I primed the surface with Rustolieum primer, not sure it necessarily needed it, but a light spray was used. I am now painting up the rest of the model using Montana black spray paint. 

 

I have printed off the motor mount in Petg and currently printing the tyres in Colourfabb Varioshore TPU. I have used the same settings for the TPU as I did for the LWPLA as a starting point, so will see how that works. 

 

My target is to finish the painting this week and then final assembly and electronics in for a maiden next week/end. 

 

 

[Andy Stephenson]

Primer isn't necessary on LW-PLA because of the sandy surface. Car aerosol takes perfectly to this material but masking can be a bit of a problem on such a matt finish.

Make sure you don't attach the tips before hinging the ailerons as you will struggle to get them in place. Also use thick setting cyno on the aileron hinges brackets and very sparingly because it's too easy to glue the actual hinge mechanism. I found some cyno accelerators make the glue go yellow but the type from Toolstation doesn't.

[Robert Rundle 1]

Printed out the tyres, think they came out OK and pretty squidgy as well. 

 

The TPU took some getting right, as it kept kinking into the hotend. 

Edited May 28, 2022 by Robert Rundle 1