Building RC airplanes using a 3D printer

[@RamyRC]

Guys I'm not building another 777X, I'm just trying new methods and learning new things for my next project , there will be a vote on KZbin soon. Next week we have a very funny video for you, stay Tuned!

[@cameronsteed2712]

Ramy RC can’t wait to see what you build next man! Love what you do

[@MetinOktayYlmaz]

Hey RamyRC! Many of us are wondering why you are not using any autopilot hardware on your models. RIP 787.

[@muhammadrifai1828]

Can a350?

[@sinformant]

I'd love to see a large scale concorde

[@MetinOktayYlmaz]

@James Smith That's very cool and emotional and being directly connected to control surfaces and motors is a different feeling but autopilots allow manual flight too. But with just one switch fatal crashes might be prevented. So, it's just a counter measure for human error. Also cheap. Poor 787. Poor all that hours, money and hopes invested in it.

[@gustavosousa9737]

Hello Ramy! Amazing work that you did. Just a quick tip: Instead of applying the resin with the carbon fiber at the mold, apply it in a flat table with plastic film in both sides, and than scrap the excesses of resin to the side of the fiber. This way you'll have a evenly distributed resin through the carbon fiber sheet. Do this to each sheet, and apply the fiber to the mold afterwards. I hope to have helped you! Continue the great work.

[@davidg.3226]

Thank you. And do you apply some resin on the mould as well or just apply the wet sheets on the dry mould?

[@povilaslondon]

Perfect way to get some dry spots

[@geoffallan3804]

I'm also not an expert at Carbon Fiber... however, I have recently been watching a lot of videos about it. You are literally using the exact same technique that I was planning on using. I was very happy to see this video! The only thing I can say is that it seems to me to be worth getting a vacuum pump and bagging. For one thing it presses the material more solidly against the mold, and it also removes the fine bubbles that mar the otherwise perfectly smooth surface. Without the fine bubbles within the weave the structure is stronger, too.

[@hueyrosayaga]

*nerd alert*

[@powderslinger5968]

@@hueyrosayaga when do you turn 6 Huey? We will throw you a party.

[@c3ramics]

Coming back here to reinforce that vacuum bagging and vacuuming is the final way. It's a big add to the process and I think Ramy sees as overkill for his application, but anything and everything composites should always have vacuum bagging.

[@aserta]

Just an idea based on what some of the guys i've seen in South Korea are doing atm with prosthetic arm/leg replacements. Print the shell, as you've done, but then print a inner structure shell (preferably ABS, i'll explain why below***) that you'll attach to your carbon fiber on the inside of as a last "layer". ***ABS vapor polishing or dipping PLA in a bucket of thin super glue will make the structure very strong because either will bond the layers of the print, i for one, prefer ABS because it's more lenient. The students in SK were making the structures for the actuators or electronic muscles out of CF and such structures (honey comb or plain lattice) so that they get the best solution for matching components, rigidity, and inner structure mounting points for hardware and so on. I was very impressed with how strong the final product was. I even saw a very interesting thing where they applied the concepts of lost wax casting to CF molding. IE, using low temp PLA lattices that were then encased in CF and subsequently baked/melted out in the autoclave as the CF was "fired". VERY, very cool idea. Now, i know an autoclave ain't everyone's cup of juice, but if you use a low temp lattice made out of something like PCL, which is printed somewhere between 80 and 100 degrees Celsius, you could "fire" your part and remove the lattice (obviously it needs to have some place to escape). I mean, your average heat gun can output the necessary heat to melt the material out. :) You could, in theory (because it takes time to figure these things out) have your own latticed CF nose cone or wings made out of a single solid, piece. Making something like that DIY at home, is very difficult, we're talking Koenigsegg CF wheels level of complicated here. BTW, check the channel "The Drive" for the Koenigsegg wheel videos, has some really cool insights in CF laying by the man himself. :)

[@ЕвгениГеоргиев-т1я]

Nice info. Do you have any video on how to do this with the PLA as a second layer?

[@shaikaliuddin9025]

We want dreamliner 787 back 😢

[@corentinmouchel3825]

I really want a norwegian livery for the next 787

[@adurisai7016]

I really want the dreamliner back Ramy

[@JavierColladoGutierrez]

Hi! If you still don't have vacuum, a good option is to put a bag with water to make some pressure and get a compact layup with less delamination issues... Tried on a rush at Montmeló pits and worked like a charm haha

[@mattiasfagerlund]

Nice! You should print registration/alignment connections between your mold parts, so they align easier when gluing for instance. Don't forget to add clearance, though, otherwise they won't fit together.

[@stuartjackson7864]

If you're using carbon fibre, and don't want another Dreamliner, go for an A350-900.

[@cirkasticguy69420]

This new technique will be in very helpful in making the front bulge of 747-8 if you are planning to make one 😃

[@smashparkour215]

Year it would

[@RamyRC]

Airbus next ;)

[@AD_RC]

@@RamyRC maybe A350? or a neo?

[@Larsykfz303]

@@RamyRC well then a380 next haha

[@smashparkour215]

Year if it’s going to be an Airbus then A350-1000 would be good

[@LorisGrillet]

A MD-11 would be awesome. I’d love to see you build a trijet! 😊

[@GreySamson]

A350 - most iconic plane. Now you have the technique for the shapes!

[@cameronsteed2712]

Jonas G your wrong, 172 Skyhawk haha

[@kevinm3751]

You will find it easier to get your fiber wetted if you apply a generous layer to the mold itself before you put the first layer on. It works better to work the resin up through the fiber than it does trying to push it down into it. I get great finishes with no blemishes or areas that did not wet out by first laying down a nice coat of resin on the mold, laying down the first layer of fiber and using a rubber squeegee to pull the resin up into it. When I have got all I can up into the first layer I add more resin and repeat for the consecutive layers. If you are vacuum bagging its not as critical to do it this way but even then I always wet out the mold prior to adding any fiber.

[@DanFrederiksen]

Rather than a many use mold, I have considered a vase print and just drape the print on the outside so it's one piece, no seams to glue together. And if weight is very critical, the weak print can be torn out when it's done. 3D printing obviously has huge potential for fabrication.

[@ErtsenPlayGames]

I making carbon fibre parts using 3d printed mold around 5y ago some people use it for making carbon fibre bike frames (i making glass fibre parts around 10y ago using styrofoam model and glassfibre mold) :) now i work making composite parts for motorcycle :) YOU dont aply PVA on wax.... You aply wax on pva if you want easy release but you can use only PVA without wax If you part is smooth you only need to aply maybe 2 layers if you making mold one time(i sometimes use only 1 layer of wax or pva and 1 layer wax on top of it...if you aply 5 times wax you can make easy 20 times the same part using 1 mold....we aply wax 6-7 times and use one mold without aplying more wax around 50 times or more. If you try to aply pva on wax it wont stay on it...like water on waxed car paint. PS. If you need any help with making molds etc text me on email (its in information about me on youtube)

[@epgaynor]

What do you use to smooth out the raw printed mold before PVA/wax?

[@ErtsenPlayGames]

@@epgaynor after it is printed i first use brush to aply acetone on it....to clean the print or sometimes PLA with colour start to melt (not pla....pigment in it) and it become smoother Next i aply thic coat of primer and high gloss spray paint.....or if spray paint is based on acetone just high gloss paint then after few hour sand it using 500 water sandpaper untill i see plastic Then use 800 + up to 2000grid (you dont need perfect smooth just make it smoother after 500) When i use 2000grid i add some soap to clean it and leave it to dry (dont touch with finger) Then aply first thick layer of pva using sponge and dry it using hairdryer so it wont make spots without pva I heat it up in the same time And then aply second layer But second layer need to be aply in 1 direction and dry as fast as possible so it wont melt first layer After that mold is ready if you want you can aply wax on it if mold is tricky (if its mostly flat u dont need it) Or if you want to use it few times dont aplt pva...aply wax wait 15-30min (check wax instruction) Polish it then aply again wait ...polish it and repeat around 5 up to 7 times

[@compman9]

Everything looks great! Depending on what type of carbon fiber you purchased I would recommend flipping the grain directing on the second layer. Otherwise all of your reinforcement structure will be in one direction.

[@RamyRC]

Thanks Logan, I'll do that on the next one ;)

[@paktoysreview8377]

wonderful work friend

[@rdc2724]

Hi Ramy, have you ever considered building a plane in small strong sections that are joined but can breake off in case of a crash. In that way the plane could break apart in a crash but the parts would survive because they can brake off and wouldn't take full impact off the whole mass of the plane. Off course the trade off would be small joines but they would only be visible at close range. Another advantage would be the if a part would be damaged too severe you would only have to remake that part and not the whole plane. Off course there would be more design and build work but when you can think of a good system it would be a big advantage in all your future projects! Cheers and good luck!

[@randomnickify]

It would add mass and made model more likely to crash.

[@nicholasniklaus9268]

Hey Ramy, im a huge fan of you and your work. However, I didn't think much of it until I actually went to college to study Aeronautical Engineering Technology to be a Pilot in the US and the horizontal stabilizers on every aircraft is supposed to be an inverted airfoil to pull the empennage of the airplane down instead of a standard airfoil. I just wanted to let you know so that it can help with the performance of your airplanes.

[@pfd_mark_taylor]

That's a cool idea. I remember carving foam while trying to make plugs for my molds. This is much better.

[@b.w.oostdam8875]

Use fibreglassing myself with excatly the same products. Very good results. Super idea to make molds like that !!! Maestro!

[@DrBrian0450]

Ramy, are you going to start selling parts??? If you have a mold you can easily pull a couple hundred parts from each mold before it needs replacement. I'm sure there are lots of people whoud would buy parts and build along with you....great revenue generator!!

[@RamyRC]

maybe someday.

[@jakke1975]

Just an idea if you print multiple pieces to glue together... easy fit if you make a few intrusion in 1 part and aligned extrusions in the other so they perfectly fit when you put them together ;)

[@mortiogamer9149]

When I make molds i don’t put like a whole piece of fiber, just cut it on squares so layers are better stick together and it can go into more difficlut surfaces

[@TheCreat]

Just as a side note: Among 3d printers the CR-10 is already considered 'large' or at at least above average. There are many that are in the range of 20x20 cm or 25x25 cm. But yes, I do get why that's too small for you.

[@Luke-P]

ive been trying this method for the cowl of my carbon cub build works pretty well! much easier than carving foam!

[@alenkocabas866]

A Giant a380 emirates would be Great

[@nicolaspeeters8672]

Your wishes have been granted

[@DingDongDaily]

you should make ID holes/bumps in the mold so it's easier to line it up and glue together.

[@_droid]

I have a feeling his 3D modeller is not that good considering they couldn't get the windows modeled correctly either.

[@DingDongDaily]

@@_droid yea it's not that hard

[@seanjohnson8674]

Another tip I have learned with carbon or fiber glass, always wear gloves when handling it. Your hand oils will cause the fibers to repel the epoxy and not get a perfect bond.

[@dbaider9467]

Is it OK to fold the CF cloth like at 8:30? I was told always keep it on a roll, like glass cloth.

[@seanjohnson8674]

@@dbaider9467 i think that ideally it should be on a roll, as to avoid creasing the fibers, but as long as no pressure is applied to the fold, I don't see an issue with it.

[@robocine9052]

What type of resin and hardener should be used for jobs like this?

[@KunkelSebastian]

Do you think that with this technique I could also build a complete bathtub? No joke, I think about this idea for weeks and actually believe that would have to work. But I'm not sure about how many layers i'd have to use, so that it is really waterproof, withstanding the water pressure and my own weight... Great video man!

[@skaltura]

I regularly print PLA on a Chiron at 235C. The extruder on this machine is quite bad, and vref too low. So get a Tevo's Titan extruder, get it with the volcano hotend for future use, and increase stepper vref.

[@InspGadgt]

230 should be no problem printing PLA...the 3d printed planes are often printed at that temp with PLA for better layer adhesion. If you are getting clogging then it likely is an assembly issue. If my guess is correct the hot end is probably something like the E3D V6 hot end and a common mistake made with those hot ends is to forget using thermal paste when screwing the heat break into the heat sink. Without this thermal transfer doesn't work properly so the cooling fan doesn't work properly and at higher temps you end up getting filament jams in the heat break.

[@CarbonGlassMan]

I make molds for a living. I bought a 3d printer for home use so I could design molds, then make a fiberglass part out of it, tyhen make a fiberglass mold off of the part I made out of the 3D printed mold. This is a great use of a 3D printer. Nice job.

[@marcusmarcusk830]

What are you using for filler on the print? PLA or PetG?

[@CarbonGlassMan]

@@marcusmarcusk830 I was printing with PLA.

[@heavyweather]

@@CarbonGlassMan and what kind of filler do you use in the PLA print to smooth the surface? Some epoxy based spackle?

[@CarbonGlassMan]

@@heavyweather Oh ok. I misunderstood you. I sanded it with some sandpaper and sprayed primer surfacer on the print. Then wet sand the primer. You could use rattle can primer surfacer if you dont' have a paint gun and air compressor. SEM makes a good primer surfacer in a rattle can.

[@AlanDampog]

you really need to vacuum your layups... you would not believe how much weight you can cut from your molded parts...lots of weight savings but no structural integrity loss... the next time vacuum your carbon fiber. great work! love your stuff!!

[@wincrasher2007]

Looks promising! I think you need some kind of vacuum setup though. One of those big food sealers might do the trick - you just need to source some kind of large plastic bags.

[@nickheyer]

Good luck with you AC Chiron. I've only had problems with mine. Ended up returning it as the PSU was causing my lights to flicker in my house.

[@k2h6a4l1e9d]

Dear Ramy what a great effort toward Rc modeling keep up the good job

[@ceceb5319]

For the cockpit window, you can use Google Sketchup to fit the model perfectly.

[@domsui300]

Hello Ramy! Your work ist getting better and better, wow. Just some thoughts about your carbon fiber pieces. - If you wish to have a nice surface without much sanding, you can start with putting the paint or some gelcoat in the mold. And to make it nice and smoth, put some glassfibers (40g/m2) before you use the carbon. In this way you can avoid the little "pinholes" Very curious to see your next project. My next project is to improve my tristar, trying to make it fly perfectly smoth and adding some scale details. Greetings from switzerland, Dom

[@whitewhizzy4967]

Du solltest beim nächsten Mal dein Gewebe auf eine rolle lagern, knickt man es ist es an jeder Stelle kaputt. Bei dem dicken Gewebe wird das nicht allzu schlimm sein, nur als kleiner Tipp!

[@cammando5847]

Brilliant as always! Can't wait to see what this beast gets you into!

[@FroggyFrog9000]

Very good idea to use the 3d printer to make moulds 🙂

[@hyperideryt4989]

A huge blackbird would be awesome to build!

[@joshperryppg]

Man, build a vacuum table! You have everything you need in that garage!

[@abates3747]

using printers to make molds... someone just became a higher form of mammal!... AND THE GNOME!!! my wife makes those too!!! ...thought this was a video that I shot and forgot about there for a second :)

[@thenatedog]

thanks for this video man I hadn't used my three printer in like a year and I finally printed something after watching this. I bet you with your mold split in half like that could do some type of vacuum bagging thing maybe I'll try that myself, I don't have as big of a print area as you do but I could do something small and try my vacuum bag on it.

[@redphenix1033]

Also, maybe worth storing your fibreglass and carbon fibre rolled onto tubes. That way, the cloth is undamaged or not weakened at the folds - based on my learnings. Others may hold different perspectives.

[@PorscheMonster]

Very informative video! Nice to see the large volume capability of the Anycubic printer and your workflow for developing 3D printed molds.

[@OveropinionatedAzhat]

add pin holes to the buck models to make alignment easier in the future

[@yugos]

fantastic! thanks for sharing. Maybe for next time in a 2 or more parts mold, you can add some centering pins to avoid steps

[@terrencejackson4587]

I’d say you’re a professional. Just remember, they make mistakes too. They learn from them and keep improving. I sat and watched your whole video to escape from all the other woes of the world. It was so relaxing not to hear about all the other dumb stuff going on and just get back to building RC aircraft - so thanks for that. TJ

[@Spaventacorvi]

These are the videos that I prefer, when you make the models. P.S. Please consider the Iron Maiden 787-400 Ed Force One for a future project.

[@simply-phil]

It's awesome to have a look at you, building a mold and laminate a new model.... Very interesting 😎👌

[@mikehawk4517]

Awesome! I would love to see you make a fighter jet using this technique, like the Lockheed F35. It's a really good looking aircraft imo.

[@nazaky4715]

F22 raptor is better

[@hueyrosayaga]

F/A-18 Super Hornet is great!

[@foxatron5838]

YOU'RE A GENIUS!

[@michaelbrownlee9497]

Looks like a few hours invested, very nice result.

[@konstanen]

Now build your virgin atlantic 330 again. We will never forget that plane.

[@LNf4n1997]

Yeah,no one will forget that nice A330

[@adurisai7016]

Yeah,The a330 was very good plane the only thing which made it damage was that he didn't use carbonfibre.

[@marthijn-7544]

With tilted gear for smooth landings :)

[@DawahTrucker2024]

Ramy this second Mike looks a lot larger than the first sample you made, great work we cannot wait until you complete the rest of the plane!!

[@CharlieBrown-co4ge]

Chiron are so cool I use my one all the time

[@mosta5]

this was very brilliant . I am interested to see how the airplane will look

[@troibandy2139]

Rami! I like your airline builds! AWESOME work man! I can't believe never thought of using my 3d print to make a mold. That is definitely a "high-concept" idea. I plan to use this idea to start making some aircraft myself.

[@justinpaoli]

You have to remake the dreamliner again now! No defeat! It flew Soo nice and stable

[@francoisbouix6002]

5:25 there is a new fuselage here

[@ngd931]

Hey ramy! I have a challenge for you! Please make an Airbus Beluga or a 747 dream lifter with working cargo doors. That would be fun to see! Thanks!

[@scottwatson5767]

Awesome setup, now you really need to get yourself a bigger shop to store all the molds you will be making!! Great video as always.

[@channelvr1293]

nice one Remy got a anycubic I8 Mega......just learning to work with Fusion 360 but the tings you can do in our hobby are amazing.....even gears for RC cars

[@quinnax]

Make an A400M, slightly different from the current ones

[@rodderouge2841]

im a total noob at making rc models but i saw a video of Lamborghini making Carbon fiber panels . they use a special kind of roller to eliminate air bubbles during layering of the carbon fiber . And then after a quick drying they bake the molded panels in a vacuum oven . So maybe you should use a mini roller ? And bake it a big oven ?? Hehe . goodluck to you sir . P.s i hope you rebuild a dreamliner again . Or if not pls try to make a USAF C-17

[@mickboakes7023]

Looks to me you’re doing pretty good with carbon fibre. All the best. Mick🇬🇧

[@linecraftman3907]

Hi , if you align fibers between layers at right angles it will be much stronger.

[@linecraftman3907]

Also your mold can be optimised for faster printing by making a thick semi empty shell with supports to put it on a table

[@linecraftman3907]

Another thing you can do is to inverse the mold , so that you would apply carbon fiber material on the outside

[@MotorMenaceFPV]

I'm thinking the 787 went down because you had full flaps on during your bank. during a banking turn lift is drastically decreased... and full flaps will register a lot of Drag. In a sense you are right that you were going to slow but the greater issue was the airfoil at full flap while banking at a 90 degree angle. Regardless... beautiful work, sad to hear she's gone.

[@MotorMenaceFPV]

Or maybe the ESC fried on the right motor. After Rewatching it seems like you closed the flaps. Bummer man.

[@VERA103143]

Ramy, congratulations, I follow your videos here in Brazil. I can't fly very well my simple templates, but I'm in love with model airplanes. hugs my friend and thank you for what you do and motivates us in this hobby.

[@LuizFernando-pj4rp]

Opa, blz? Só um toque: em Inglês não é mto comum chamar alguém de "my friend" a menos q seja alguém mais íntimo. Se vc usar "dude" é bem melhor. E mandar abraços ou mesmo bjos só faz sentido entre brasileiros (talvez outros latinos), mas o cara não deve ter entendido nada desse papo de "hugs" kkkkk. Use o velho e bom "cheers", "cheers from Brazil" p ex.

[@fireblade639]

Nice video... You can use the pva without the wax, it will just pop up when finish, it will save you a lot of time, for using carbon try to coat the mold with resin first, wait a little and place the carbon, the true streangh of carbon is achived by vacuum molding, any tiny little bubble trap in there will make it weak, son if you plan doing it like that use carbon for look and reinforce with fiberglass, you will save money and get a nice strong model....

[@antyoof]

Use it to make the 787 AGAIN!!! RIP 787...😢😢

[@fiercedevil6955]

In a previous video, Ramy said that he wouldn't build the 787 again.>:

[@romanetsesavions.3845]

No we want a New thing

[@Falko_Spats]

Nice work with less Hightech👍

[@giliant]

Love your stuff! Might enjoy trying a a piece of foam as a sanding block, less hard on the hands and a bit more consistent sanding. Look forward to your next video.

[@markwebb8616]

Your videos are so watchable.

[@guymoreillon9807]

Really nice work! Do wear a mask when applying epoxy though, those vapors will burn your lungs.

[@roowut]

A Q400 would be cool!

[@DruideRC]

Big progress, very confident to see this

[@alexnder2670]

Maybe an a340-600 ?

[@sinformant]

That carbon fiber turned out great!

[@kevonholder8272]

I would love to see building the A380 or the A350-1000

[@waypointmapping_studios]

That loooks epic now i need a 3D printer

[@JamesMossR33]

Great printer and a great result with all of your hard work in between. Something very sexy about carbon fibre, I really want to make something now! I print with RigidInk PLA and it's very happy printing at 195 degrees. I tried and tried with ABS but too much warping on my printer (not enclosed so can't keep it hot). Great work.

[@QuiranPup]

secretly hoping that Ramy would be building a 747-100 shuttle carrier, including the little marking that tells black side of the shuttle is the bottom

[@vegandiver]

I just started building my airplane with this method. It's genious. How do you plan to attach the two halves together?

[@amtpdb1]

Vegandiver I have asked several times for someone to mention the program they are using to make these molds. None have replied, even the KZbin presenters. Would you mine stating the program that you have tried? Thanks.

[@vegandiver]

@@amtpdb1 I've been using Fusion 360 from Autodesk. Assuming i have the plane modeled, I make blocks that are the build volume of the 3d printer, then Boolean cut those blocks with the plane model, then do more simple lofted or extruded cuts to reduce the amount of material used and print those. I also add alignment features so the molds pieces line up.

[@amtpdb1]

@@vegandiver Thank you so much for answering. I downloaded fusion last week but haven had the time to look at it and I had no idea it could do molds. I will have to look around and see if I can find someone that is showing the process. Again I want to thank you for your help. Don

[@DepechLyot]

Conclusion is that 3d modeling is very important. Of course if you don't liks sanding too much.

[@nguyenvuhoanglong3418]

Wonderful, someday i will trying to build an aircraft carrier

[@pokemonrobloxiangamer1285]

Singapore A350 will be awesome using 3D printed like if u agree

[@nazaky4715]

Yep

[@robertohinger-ramirez9507]

If you would make one I would build it too

[@majit1234]

A380 and B747

[@CountryAireDesign]

Hi new 3D Printer!

[@sergiogustavoclaucich3660]

Felicitaciones Ramy. Saludos desde Argentina!

[@noureddinesalim007dimlan3]

I am interested to see how the airplane will look

[@trialnterror]

You can make it so the 2 piece mold has keys that will snap together!

[@nicbriers9547]

I'm a 3d modeller (5 years training) and I don't think it would be hard to replicate the 777 windscreen and fuselage topology merger in 3d software. (I might take some time to prove this to you when I get time)(It might be a time saver for you when it comes to 3d printing and finalising things like this)

[@joaopedrobarbosa3378]

Make a Concord with this method!

[@andrei9833]

Hey can you build the BAe 146 or the Boeing 747-8 ? Please !!!

[@redphenix1033]

Carbon fibre attenuated radio frequencies. You may find that your range for control is reduced in a carbon fibre plane. Your mileage may vary.

[@caseyhelmrich174]

Ramy RC you should make a King Air 350i. Have to see that aircraft before?

[@martintaylor984]

Ramy watch a guy named mike with the Draco bushplane he shows a very easy way to do a vacuum chamber for carbon fiber he has a series here in youtube

[@farkhodkhikmatov4738]

What is his KZbin name

[@goned216]

This dude is awesome, I love his builds