It's the 24th of May 2022 as I write this in Sim's new home in Cornwall, UK. I want to report that we finally have internet after almost a month, and it's fast! We have gone from 0.5MB to 130MB download speed. This newfound speed has changed everything already! Fusion 360 operates instantly, and I no longer have to wait every 5 minutes for 15 minutes to autosave. It was driving me mad, even in Brunei. The file sizes I work with these days are enormous, as you can probably imagine.
With this new internet speed came one of my most complex shape designs ever created, and it took less than a day to design! Check out the new 3D printed Glarewings (V7):
Before we get to the final design, let me take you back to the very first days of my MIP in 2015. I had to carve each section of the Glarewings out of 18mm MDF. This method was time-consuming, but the final product looked perfect due to the smooth contours easily achieved while sanding MDF. In 2015/16, a few members decided to print the Glare wings, and I thought they were mad! If I remember right, Chris Meyer was the first to achieve this, and they looked stunning. But even to this day, I can only imagine the amount of time and amount of PLA used.
As I now start to plan in great depth version 4 sim. This new Sim will be a compact single-seat trainer for tiny houses like the UK has and such as the place we live now.
I want to think after seven years, my CAD skills have grown, and my understanding of how best to print things. So let me start with the glare wings. From layer orientation, infill and support settings. I hope this model takes it to the next level.
The shape has come out gorgeous! It flows in every way. This time I included the under lighting cutouts. The whole unit is hollow to speed up printing times. Currently, Cura tells me this can be printed in four days.
To reduce print times and print errors, I decided to split this unit up into more sections than it ever needed to be. You really could print this in two halves on the CR10. However, there are a few issues I could foresee. Removing the support material would be a nightmare, and the amount of support material would be horrendous. With each half forecast for a 2-day print, if something goes wrong as it often can, that's a lot of wasted filament. The design is done! And I'm super proud of it! The first two parts are printed in Black amazon basics PLA, and they look fantastic. Better still, they fit perfectly. Now, it's a matter of waiting for all the other parts to finish printing. To help speed things up, I will issue this design to my Patreons as they seem to print the parts faster than I can issue them. This will also help with feedback on the parts and the design.
This design is just a prototype, while the remainder of the MIP gets designed. The back face has mounts and extra support for using 8mm bolts to help support the upper MIP loads. In my mind, I think there also needs to be mounting points for the shelf that mounts the EFIS and MCP. But I need to test the basic design first. This is where the prototyping time goes into each part, especially when I have only one printer.
I like to print several versions in different orientations and settings to find the optimal print solution. For example, the lower sections have a huge overhang, but support can be switched off because the first layers droop on the inside of the unit where it can't be seen, but the external finish is perfect. This saves a lot of time and PLA. There are some parts where support is essential.
I don't believe anyone has created a part like this yet, and I'm excited about this next design. I have a new laser machine that I haven't used yet because it keeps setting things on fire. I am waiting for air tubing to replace the air assist pump with my standard workshop air compressor.
Looking forward to this next chapter! All the best, Clarkey!