A couple printed widgets

[A2022]

I’ve been experimenting with PPS CF-10, a new material for me. When dropped onto a surface, it sounds like metal but is actually lightweight plastic. I printed a spark plug baffle wire seal with it. Its heat resistance is claimed to be better than the Slick version made from PEI. After testing and breaking a few pieces, I found it’s not as tough as nylon or PEI, but for this application, toughness isn’t critical. The material max operating temperature rating is greater than 400°F, though I would conservatively rate this printed part to about 350°F. I use the high-temp nylon version in my aircraft, mounted directly over the cylinders, and been happy with them at their 300°F rating. This PPS material could open the door to even higher temperature applications. Fun stuff! Now back to work on my bicycle kickstand extension.

see and hear the part drop video.... sounds like metal
https://photos.app.goo.gl/Yv6oZrSqktm6zK378



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[A2022]

I removed the right-hand side high-temperature nylon ignition wire baffle seal (operated 2 years) and replaced it with a new polyphenylene sulfide version. The removed nylon seal is in perfect condition, and I will reinstall it in the future, but for now, I want to log some flight hours with the new material. For this part, the high-temperature nylon has a maximum rating of 300°F, while the polyphenylene sulfide version is rated at 350°F—a significant 50°F increase. I always use the parts I manufacture on my aircraft.

I have been impressed with this material from PolyMaker. Be sure to vent the work area because of the sulfides. I printed at 350C.
https://fiberon.polymaker.com/product/pps-cf10/

Temporarily removed nylon





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Installed Polyphenylene Sulfide

[A2022]

I am beginning to make some nice parts from the PPS-CF10 material. Bringing the Sulfides...

[A2022]

I’m making steady progress on the cowl support tool. The pipe bonding tooling arrived, and I think it’s going to improve pipe perpendicularity. There are four key surfaces to control with the print, and I’m definitely within 0.010 inch—maybe even 0.0005—and it’s a repeatable process. So far, I’m happy with the new bonding tool and the printing accuracy. This has been a fun challenge to see how precise I could make it and I learned something.

This part is in the zero position with surfaces 2 and 3 in contact.

[A2022]

The cowl support tool is now available for sale on the website, and by popular request, the hose baffle mount selection has been expanded to include standard ID sizes. These mounts can also be used for bulk wire pass-through. The baffle mounts offer two materials, high temp nylon 300F and polyphenylene sulfide 350F.

https://www.rvplasticparts.com/product- ... pport-tool

https://www.rvplasticparts.com/product- ... aight-thru

[A2022]

For no particular reason, I decided to turn the hose baffle mount into a wire seal. I was going to name it the El Grande Suprimo Wire Seal, but ended up calling it the 4-Screw Wire Seal instead. This one is polyphenylene sulfide material, rated for up to 350°F. Just another option.

Strong like Bull



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For my aircraft, I use the El Cheapo nylon wire seals, and they’ve worked well, rated for temperatures up to 300°F.

[A2022]

I’m working on a basic filament respooler powered by a drill motor, a simple and straightforward device for transferring large spools of plastic to smaller ones. This particular setup handles a smaller 3kg spool. I’ve noticed some cost savings when buying larger spools.

[A2022]

Driven by my eternal curiosity, I decided to try a 3-inch-wide cowl air dam for an RV9, which is 0.5 inches wider than the widest one I currently have. I printed it hollow, like a balloon.

[A2022]

I tested the 3-inch-wide air dams today. OAT was -4°C at takeoff and -10°C at altitude. Oil temperature stabilized at 177°F during cruise, while CHT reached 330°F during an aggressive climb and settled at 320°F in cruise. I think these wider air dams could be beneficial. I’m really glad I flew today—it was beautiful, and I had the sky to myself in otherwise busy airspace.

The oil color looks OK at 65 hours. I will change it at 100 hrs.