Problems I always had with any 3D printed prop is it just vibrating itself apart. Such a pain to get it balanced. I wish someone would just make a motor with the same shaft as Lift motor or someone would make a strong folding prop for the 65161 motors. I’ve tried making my own 3D folding prop designs but they never hold up for more than a handful of sessions. I should ask a machine shop for a quote.
Which filament were you using?
PETG prusament. 100% infill for blades and 70% for hub
Which part broke whilst vibrating to bits?
It seems that PETG is strong but brittle, and may not be the best filament for the impact of a folding prop banging open.
Polycarbonate might be more shock resistant and stronger.
ASA could be more suitable for post-processing, sanding, gluing extra weight, which is difficult with pla and petg.
The lift folding prop is expensive, and not feasible for a cheap foil drive build. Balancing props looks time consuming, likely more so with a folding prop, and one that mounts to 4 bolts onto an outrunner.
2 Likes
That makes a lot of sense. I think in the coming weeks I’ll still look into machining an aluminum option. It’s definitely going to be expensive but that’ll be worth it if I can finally ride swell unpowered.
There are some outfits in NZ where you can get your prototyping parts laser sintered in Nylon 12.
https://www.callaghaninnovation.govt.nz/addlab/our-printers
Quality is impressive and material is super tough. Although not sure if a bit of flex is OK for the blades, or if you need the stiffest material possible.
Interesting idea of using nylon.
3d printed CF-reinforced nylon filament seems like it might be worth a try. Nylon seems to have much higher impact toughness than ASA or PLA, as it is flexible. The carbon fibres reinforcement make it easier to print without warping, and provides more stiffness and strength. However, it is twice the price of PLA/ASA. I don’t think a bit of flex would be an issue for a foil assist, as the power level is low.
Not 100% sure but think some of the smaller outboard propellers are some type of black nylon mixed with glass fiber reinforcement. Ordinary glass is probably better than carbon in this application, carbon is too stiff to work well together with nylon.
Have anybody the file for the threaded shaft Version the links are all broken
In the coming weeks I will release a commercial folding propeller if that’s interesting for you. It’s compatible to almost all inrunner and outrunner motors.
There are already 5 beta testers and me. If all are happy I gonna release it.
12 Likes
It’s worth the wait, the folding prop looks very good!
Greetings Frank
Wiill it be… 3D printed, moulded, casted , CNCed ?
3D printed composite with glass (no FDM) which holds up the forces.
4 Likes
The esun ePA gf is available locally, at about double the price of PLA, impact tough and produces a nice print finish. If I can design a prop I’m happy with, I’ll probably give it a try. The trick will be working out how big to make the diameter, pitch, and blade area so that the power consumption is minimized but it still has a bit of push to get into waves, and which kV of the 6374 to get.
1 Like
I am building my downwind assistant with a 6374 170kV and 6S batt , I went for 130mm prop due to the lower torque. I will provide a complete set of instruction if it works…
8 Likes
Very interesting. I’m waiting for the results.
7 Likes
Wow. I think 160mm is too big for 63100. Can you log your drive?
I was using for awhile Volker’s prop 3D design 4 Loch 158 0.38 1.05 15 NEW | Tinkercad with reduced pitch for my 140kV motor. This is a folding version of it. Will see results tomorrow.