3D Printed FT Mini PowerPod

by mitchellcook5 | November 21, 2014 | (8) Posted in How To

This is the first 3D printed FT Mini all in one power-pod firewall combo.  It is extremely strong, very light and durable!  Some of you may have seen my article about how to strengthen your FT Mini with zip-ties.  Well this is the next step further to making your mini as strong as possible, Because odds are if you're flying a mini, you are either a beginner, or just wanting to have some fun like me, and lets face it, both of those cases almost always end up in crashes. Which isn't always a bad thing, you have to learn to crash, rebuild, fly, and repeat, it's just part of the hobby.  But lets all admit flying is the most fun part.  So my goal with this is to minimize repair time.  Because I found out shortly after flying my FT mini speedster, when you try to do daredevilish things, you crash... and that leaves you with a mangled power-pod. 

 

  • I designed it with the standard FT 4 Hole pattern or a 3 hole pattern which I needed for my motor.

 
  • There is a thrust angle just like the original power pod.


Printing
  • Thingiverse link:  http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:558189
  • Print the power-pod at 20% infill with 3 Shells at 0.3mm layerhight, NO SUPPORTS.  I printed it with PLA, but I'm sure ABS would work just fine as well.  
  • Print vertically with the firewall on the platform.  There is a 4.6 degree thrust angle. (You might have to input that manually to get it to lay flat)
  • Should look exactly like this
Prepping your power pod
  • Mark the holes you need to mount your motor on the firewall, they should be visible on the extrusion path.

  • If your motor is directly screwed to the pod from the inside of the firewall, you will need to drill clearance holes for the screw.  About 0.015" bigger in diameter than the shaft of the screw.  

  • If you have a motor mount and your screws need to bite into some plastic, depending on your thread size you will want to drill the hole about 75% or 0.015"-0.020" smaller than the diameter of the shaft of the screw you are using.  In my case my motor mount screws to the power pod, so I drilled the holes smaller.

  •  Make sure you drill your holes perpendicular the thrust angle.

  • Now to drill the holes for the BBQ Skewers.  Since I bought the FT Mini speed build kit, I'm using the supplied BBQ skewers.  Just a basic rule of thumb since it's a clearance hole, it should be no less than 0.005 larger  and no more than 0.015 larger than the diameter of the skewer you are using, other wise the fit will be too tight, or it will be sloppy.

     

  • Next mount up your motor mount and motor and install the electronics!

  • Slide your new power-pod into your plane and fit the BBQ skewers, everything should line up perfectly!

Now that's one tough Mini!!! Thanks for reading, and have fun flying!
 
 

- Find this article & others like it at www.FliteTest.com -

COMMENTS

richardY on November 24, 2014
This is really nice, but I wonder that when you crash something is go to give, if your power pod is the strongest element your fuselage is going to get damaged. Maybe it's better to build a new power pod than a new fuselage?
If your power pod is really strong you may be bending engine shafts and that's a bigger repair than the foamboard.
Something to consider.
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mitchellcook5 on November 25, 2014
I did print out the little engine pieces 90% hollow. I'm gonna see if that helps. I totally understand what your saying though. Just wish there was a way you could make these things crash proof.
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Yogenh on November 22, 2014
How about one for the other F.T. power pod??? That is great.

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mitchellcook5 on November 22, 2014
I'm getting the new Solidoodle Workbench soon and it prints 12"x12"x12" and when I get that in the mail I will design and print out a full size power-pod too and do an article on that as well. My current Makerbot printer is not big enough for a full power-pod.
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Yogenh on November 22, 2014
You going to sell them? That would be great if you did.
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mitchellcook5 on November 22, 2014
Once I get that printer up and running I will be taking orders from any one who wants parts. Shipping them and everything. So yes I will be selling them and alot more in the near future.

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Yogenh on November 22, 2014
Now that will be great and can't wait!!! Thanks a lot
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ShockThree on November 25, 2014
Now to find a 3d printer lol....
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mitchellcook5 on November 26, 2014
The PrinterBots go for atound $500 or so
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vontugboat on November 26, 2014
With small holes in the firewall like that, there's no reason that it can't be printed laying flat. Kotori and I did a firewall package for the regular-sized powerpods that is a firewall with recessed walls that go back about 40mm into the powerpod itself to give additional gluing area. A full-size printed powerpod is outside my print envelope, even with my Ormerod (the other toys were printed on my Mendel), but I'm a short time away from having a Rostock with a 24" print height, so full-size power pods will follow. Well done on getting it done for the Mini :) Saves everyone else the trouble of drawing them up and you've done the proof-of-concept :)
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mitchellcook5 on November 26, 2014
The reason why i print it standing up is because I'm using a motor mount that requires self taping screws that need to bite into plastic, there is a lot less of a chance of the plastic splitting if you are screwing into the floor which is 1mm thick than screwing it into a wall that could separate between layers when you thread the screws.
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vontugboat on November 26, 2014
If you paint the object with acetone it helps a lot with strength and preventing layer separation. Your method is good, too, just two ways of approaching a problem, I suppose. I lean towards printing more stuff horizontally because my Mendel (my main printer up till recently) is limited to 140mm on the Z-axis, but can do like 210mm on X & Y.
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mitchellcook5 on November 26, 2014
I used PLA, so acetone wouldn't work in this case, that's only with ABS. But now that you mention it, I'm gonna try it with the acetone and abs. You can get the same result with PLA if you use Tetrahydrofuran, but its not that easy to get your hands on so I have never bothered with it.
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vontugboat on November 27, 2014
Yeah, Tetrahydrofuran is nasty stuff, too. I use PLA for calibration runs, but it's so hot down here in Georgia in the summer that anything made from PLA warps if you have it outside. I also make a lot of parts for model warships (gearboxes, pumps, etc) that any warpage would be Bad. :) So I just switched to ABS and once you get used to it, it's pretty easy to work with. I use a 'blanket' on the printbed to help it warm up quicker and I upgraded my PS to 600W and it heats up really quickly now.

I'm about to post a file on YouMagine and Thingiverse for a ground-adjustable trim tab for the Storch; I have a little roll to stbd I want to fix :)
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mitchellcook5 on November 27, 2014
Nice, I like the blanket idea, gonna start using that!
I use both ABS and PLA alot, and I just use the hairspray method to get them to stick,Works great with pla, and somwhat for abs. I have tried the acetone and abs method, but i never had any luck with that. And for ABS I also keep the print chamber around 100 degrees F. What method do you use to keep ABS to keep from warping?
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vontugboat on November 27, 2014
I have the bed surface covered in Kapton tape, and I run my heated bed at 110C. I built an enclosure for my Mendel (since it's open frame and any gust of air goes right across the print bed!) that has a front cover. The interior is warm but probably shy of 100F. Only really weird shapes or really large objects warp on me now, and for those I use a 10mm brim. The brim really makes a huge difference for my results on large objects. Between the brim and the 110C temp of the bed, I quit using hair spray. Which is a shame, because it was funny for ugly old vet guy (me) to be buying 'Big Sexy Hair' spray cans every couple of weeks :) (yes, that's the brand name!)
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mitchellcook5 on November 27, 2014
I use almost the exact same setup accept I print on 1/4 think glass, I don't use kapton tape because I get the exact same results as printing on glass and it's alot less hassle. I just mist a coat of hairspray and done, but I never really experimented with the brim, I think mine is set to a default 2mm so ill try 10mm. I'm currently designing a new head for my makerbot that attaches to a Dremel that is designed for milling has been a fun project so far (:
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vontugboat on November 28, 2014
I've been meaning to add a CNC router-ish capability to the shop for a while, I thinks really cool and even useful :) I'm one of those guys who buys parts for a project and they sit for a bit while I figure stuff out (sometimes years). Anyhow, I got a $9 rotary tool from Harbor Freight to play with but I need to finish building the Ormerod before the wife will tolerate more foolishness :) Something to contemplate, though... you could leave the Makerbot intact and build a frame for the router, and just order the motors and a RAMPS board and make a separate machine :) The whole RAMPS board with the Arduino 2650 MEGA is like $40 shipped from AliExpress (Hong Kong), and I got the NEMA 17's for like $10 apiece. (This is from about 5 months ago, scratchbuilding a Rostock). It's totally doable and keeps your Makerbot intact for printing parts :)
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vontugboat on November 27, 2014
For the blanket, just cut it to fit your bed (mine's 8x8), and put multiple thicknesses of cloth, thicker is much better. Mine's about 3/8" thick.
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Ncbob on November 29, 2014
I used to use hairspray but recently switched to elders dissappearing purple glue sticks, works awesome with both abs and pla, just a thin layer on my glass bed. Cleans up with water between prints very quickly.

Also if you don't have a 3d printer you can see if someone near you has one and use a service called 3dhubs at http://3dhubs.com and upload the stl and get a quote for a print.
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Ncbob on November 29, 2014
Grrrr, it's Elmers glue stick :)
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JulesHam on November 22, 2014
WOW!!! I can't wait to get my printrbot simple onto this badboy!! good work!!
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mitchellcook5 on November 22, 2014
Thank you!
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sailorJohn on November 23, 2014
Weight?
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ohitstarik on November 23, 2014
3d printed parts are not that heavy, it honestly shouldnt make a difference.
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mitchellcook5 on November 23, 2014
To be honest I didn't even weigh it. After I installed it in my plane and flew it, I didn't even bother adjusting cg and it flew almost identically. Also, it's 80% hollow, so it.s extremely light, I could probably even print it 90%hollow.
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XFlyer on November 24, 2014
It weighs 15g printed in pla with 20% infill.
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3D Printed FT Mini PowerPod