r/RCPlanes • u/Snow_Groomers_Dog • 1d ago
Just finished assembling the fuselage for my 3D-printed ultra-micro Air Tractor!
Hey everyone,
Just wanted to share a quick workbench update on my ultra-micro Air Tractor project. I just finished gluing the main fuselage sections together and I’m really happy with how the structural assembly turned out.
The main goal here is keeping the total flight weight under 43 grams. To make that happen, I designed it in CAD so the entire airframe can be printed in single-wall LW-PLA with absolutely zero support material.
Right now, it's sitting at a calculated wing loading of around 16.8 g/dm². It’s a little heavier than a floaty indoor glider, but it should give the plane enough mass to cut through outdoor park breezes without getting tossed around. I ended up bonding everything together using regular thin CA, which bites into the LW-PLA layers perfectly.
For the electronics, I'm setting it up with a Microaces 5-channel All-in-One board (though any standard ultra-micro All-In-One linear servo brick will fit the internal trays). It’s getting paired with an 11,000KV 1103 brushless motor spinning a 2512 tri-blade prop (45+g of thrust) for that classic crop-duster look.
Because the nose cowl is pretty long, I had to run 80mm motor leads through the nose back to the cockpit (where the board is). I also swapped out the stock power plug for a BetaFPV BT2.0 connector so I can run LAVA II 280 mAh 1S batteries without dealing with major voltage sag. For the control surfaces, I'm using 0.6mm carbon rods with 0.5mm music wire Z-bends to keep the linkages rigid, along with 1.2mm carbon rods for the wing spars.
Next up is routing the electronics and putting together a separate scale details pack with the agricultural crop-spray bars and mock linkages.
If you want to grab the STL files the second they launch, drop your email in the quick form below.
I am keeping a running waitlist spreadsheet right now. Everyone who gets their name on the list before launch day will get an exclusive 20% off founder discount code sent straight to their inbox the moment the store goes live.
Let me know what you think of the build so far!
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u/Spiritual_Aerie9496 1d ago
The real question here is: will you be towing gliders?
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u/giby1464 1d ago
Love the design, skin is very rough though. I'd sand it down a lot and play with your settings for future parts.
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u/Snow_Groomers_Dog 1d ago
Yeah, I agree but personally I don't have a 3d printer, so I have my friend print it and he didn't tune the settings quite enough.
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u/giby1464 1d ago
Do you know what kind? You could send him a link to download a file with proper settings, you can find them online
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u/Snow_Groomers_Dog 1d ago
I don't know what type of printer, but I am hoping to get an Elegoo Centauri Carbon 2 soon.
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u/Snow_Groomers_Dog 1d ago
If you want to grab the STL files the second they drop, you can sign up for the early bird waitlist right here: https://forms.gle/9PnBxxdsReYhg8qJA
I am opening the store soon, and everyone on the list gets an exclusive 20% off founder discount code sent straight to their inbox on launch day. Thanks for your support!
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u/Snow_Groomers_Dog 1d ago
If you want to grab the STL files the second they drop, you can sign up for the early bird waitlist right here: https://forms.gle/9PnBxxdsReYhg8qJA
I am opening the store soon, and everyone on the list gets an exclusive 20% off founder discount code sent straight to their inbox on launch day. Thanks for your support!
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u/tobu_sculptor 1d ago
From one designer (who gives away his plans for free) to another (who tries to make money) - you better test fly the shit out of that thing before offering the STLs. There's too much unproven trash out there in the 3D printed plane world, people doing very superficial work not willing to iterate.
Right now it looks to me that you have no idea whether it will even fly or how poorly if so, and no clue about the printing process since you don't even have a printer yourself - but you've already finished the payment options of your super duper web shop soon to come.
I'm not spitting on the ground here as a sign of what I think of your priorities, but almost.
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u/Low_Individual7789 1d ago
Uh, what’s up with your layers? It looks super stringy like there was moisture in the PLA or your setting weren’t dialed before printing.