SUNLU PLA Carbon Fiber filament: Is it Good for Drone Frames?

3D-printed FPV drone frames provide an a variety of benefits over conventional frames comprised of carbon fiber or different supplies. Firstly, they are often utterly personalized to go well with the pilot’s particular wants, permitting for larger management over the design course of and leading to a wonderfully optimized body. It’s nice for prototyping, permitting testing of various design approaches conveniently and at a low price. For instance, in just some hours, I 3D printed 4 FPV drone frames of various designs and sizes utilizing 250 grams of SUNLU PLA-CF filament. One other plus when utilizing 3D-printed components or a whole body is their comparatively low density. The variety of perimeters and infill share might be adjusted to lower weight considerably.

In the case of 3D printing drone frames, selecting the best filament is essential. The fabric used will decide the body’s flexibility, energy, sturdiness, and weight, all of that are important components for a profitable FPV drone construct. If you wish to 3D print your drone, it’s best to take into account the next secure and easy-to-use filaments:

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• Carbon fiber bolstered filaments (PLA-CF and PETG-CF). CF filaments are composite supplies fashioned by infusing carbon fiber fragments in polymer base 3D printing supplies, equivalent to PLA, ABS, PETG, PEKK, or PC, amongst others. CF-reinforced filaments are essentially the most applicable for 3D printing FPV drone frames as a consequence of their improved mechanical properties.
• PLA filament is a well-liked selection for 3D printing drone frames as a result of it’s straightforward to print and reasonably priced. It’s accessible in quite a lot of colours and might be printed utilizing a normal extruder. Nevertheless, it isn’t as robust and sturdy as CF-reinforced supplies.
• PETG filaments are an important compromise between PLA and ABS. They’re light-weight, robust, straightforward to print, and, extra importantly, secure to print. PETG is proof against UV radiation, which makes it very best for outside use. Additionally it is accessible in quite a lot of colours and might be printed utilizing a normal extruder.

SUNLU PLA-CF filament assessment

Disclosure: I acquired this PLA-CF filament as a part of a product assessment collaboration with SUNLU. Product specs and high quality could range based on the producer’s reliability, so I can not assure that you’ll get the fabric that performs the identical as seen in my article.

Final month, along with the Sunlu T3 3D printer, I additionally acquired a bobbin of PLA-CF carbon fiber filament. They use black plastic bobbins of 196 x 60mm (diameter x width) packed in an hermetic nylon bag with tiny silica gel sachets inside. The gross weight of 1KG filament, together with the spool, is round 1230 grams. The diameter tolerance of SUNLU PLA-CF is +/- 0.02 mm. Throughout my assessments, I had no subject with spool tangling or unwinding.

First, I printed a drone stand that got here out properly, as you’ll be able to see within the picture under. I used 220°C nozzle and 65°C print mattress temperature settings. A hardened metal nozzle is really useful, given the abrasiveness of the filament.

SUNLU PLA-CF technical specs

3D Printed 2.5″, 3.5″ Toothpick, RaceWhoop, and 5″ Racing drone frames

Secondly, I printed a 5″ commonplace racing drone with an unmodified design. It had a 4mm backside plate and a 3mm high plate. The end result appears to be like good, however the arms flexed an excessive amount of to be useable. If the body shouldn’t be completely inflexible, the drone wobbles so much making it really feel unstable, and the movies with jello.

Subsequent, I printed the BabyMOD_TrueX_3.5in_FPV_Frame. The 2mm X-shape body was bolstered with 4 bracers (one on both sides) to be stiff. The assembled body was light-weight and inflexible sufficient, however wouldn’t survive a minor influence with a concrete wall.

The third FPV body was specifically designed to be 3D printed. The body was bolstered on the backside, thus giving additional rigidity, and weight, in fact. All of the components (high and backside plates, antenna, and digicam mounts) of the two.5″ body had been printed in roughly 3 hours. The assembled body equipment weighs 45 grams, together with the screws.

My final take a look at challenge was printing the highest and backside plates for a RaceWhoop-style FPV drone. For this design, the SUNLU PLA-CF filament could possibly be an important selection over real CF components, because the pressure of an influence is taken by the TPU 70D ducts.

To finish any of those 4 3D-printed drone frames, you will have the next components:

• AIO Flight controller with onboard 4in1 ESC ~ 60$
• Radio receiver ~20$
• 4 brushless motors 60-80$
• Set of propellers -2$
• Battery and velcro band 15-25$
• Non-compulsory FPV system (Digital camera + VTX) ~30$

Value and availability

After I printed my assessment, the PLA Carbon Fiber filament was accessible for $32.99. This materials is accessible solely in black coloration and spools of 1kg/2.2lbs (1.75mm diameter).

Actual carbon fiber body vs. 3D printed PLA-CF filament body

Whereas true carbon fiber supplies have lengthy steady fiber strands that enhance mechanical resistance, the PLA-CF filament incorporates brief particles of round 0.01 mm in diameter. Though this is sufficient to enhance the energy of printed components, they can not examine to those comprised of pure carbon fiber. Real CF-frames have a lot better influence resistance.