a couple printed widgets

[A2022]

an iFly 740 dock printed and a large Garmin 760 dock on the bed. the nice thing is that I don't keep any inventory for these parts and only print on demand, no inventory. need a part.... press the button. it's like magic. these are going to Nebraska and Mexico.

[A2022]

trim wedge weight comparison: solid vs hollow

solid = 49 grams
hollow = 37 grams

49/37 = 1.32

the solid wedge is 32% heavier than the hollow. at the very trailing edge of the rudder, every gram is worth examining. these have a smooth finish that show a reflection and are perfectly flat.

[A2022]

Pantheon HS3 is in functional check for new high temp nylon/carbon fiber material. printing some heat deflection test strips for comparison to existing nylon/carbon fiber. my first impression of the HS3 is good. dimensions are spot on, and it is fast. print temp is above 300C. print tool head is 100W.

[A2022]

well, the HS3 printer accuracy is better than the TAZ. this model needs to dialed-in for the new printer accuracy and some design updates. I am still working to determine the max temperature capability of this new material. it was supposed to be higher temp capable, but I am not sure about that yet. high temp testing is on-going. the current material I use for these has longer carbon fibers and needs to be printed with a larger diameter nozzle. the new nylon for this part is PA-12.

a very clean print for high temp nylon/carbon fiber.... printing above 300C.

[A2022]

testing several materials for heat deflection temperature. the new nylon/carbon fiber (PA-12) outlasted them all. I stopped the test at 405F because the wood supports were beginning to smell. as long as you pull a vacuum, the wood does not smoke. this new material is 50F more capable than the existing material I am using. I have been using the existing material (PA-6) for the spark plug lead grommets on my aircraft for the past 3 years with no issues, but the prints are not smooth and crisp. In order to print the PA-12 nylon well, you need to print above 300C.

[A2022]

printing some test articles for some recent customers. center gap =.005 inch, tapering to .002 at the ends. line to line fit for the screws. no drilling to final size required. they all measure exactly the same dimensions. beautiful high temp parts.

[A2022]

installed for testing. easy to install by installing one screw and then clamp around the wires and latch it (it designed to latch easily), then install the opposite screw at your leisure. it fit perfectly in the close tolerance existing baffle screw holes and grips the lead wires well. the removed wire seals are in excellent condition but not as pretty as the new style.

removed wire seals after 4 years and about 400 hours. they are in excellent condition .....
.







.
.
installed new wire seals for testing.......
.











.
.
some additional photos...
.

[A2022]

flight testing is going well for these spark plug lead seals. I modified the design to eliminate the latch to eliminate the chance of someone cranking the screw down on top of it and causing damage to the seal. flight testing seals is a nice job!

[A2022]

running 250F+ under the cowl for soak back above the cylinders. the spark plus lead seals are taking it well. smokey.... turn up the heat!

[A2022]

is there any reason the spark plug leads couldn't pass thru at an angle, if you wished?

need a good drill tool to get it perfect. I can do that. something like this one but an offset center hole.

[A2022]

cycling the spark plug wire seals on-wing and in the temperature test chamber. up and down in temperature, testing screw torque retention. it's looking good. a nice day today.... climbing out.

[A2022]

the first off angle spark plug wire seal. not too bad. a nice day today, 90F, climbing out. testing wire seals is a nice job!

[A2022]

rudder trim wedges, a wide variation.

.425 x 1.5 x 10.5 hollow, big ones like this should be hollow to manage the weight
.375 x 1.0 x 6 solid

[A2022]

carbon fiber panel blank off plate printed in two different orientations for comparison. flat and vertical. I am not sure which one I like better.

[A2022]

for those that like 3D printing.... max temp = 300F degrees.

Nora En Pure - Lake Arrowhead (Radio Mix)
https://youtu.be/jiZ_bou4Ui4?si=vWEWkaPmXsqHkh2K

[A2022]

five flights on these. they look OK. do nothing, just keep flying. climbing out on a nice day today, 90F.

[A2022]

the first elevator gust lock in natural color PA12 nylon / glass fiber. not sure what to do about the color in order to be able to see it well. perhaps dye the exposed ends? the natural color will not stain the paint. the colored PA6 nylon / glass fiber leaves some stain that can be removed but why do that. also, the PA6 nylon is rougher where the PA12 fiber are much smoother and almost slick to the hand. the PA12 nylon / glass fiber is very strong and ductile. made to within 1 mil of the .068-inch web thickness target.

[A2022]

spark plug lead baffle seals - 20 degrees off angle test fit

the 20 degrees off angle seal resulted in a smoother wire lead path. comparing 20 degrees to zero degrees....

7mm 20 degrees














7mm zero degrees

[A2022]

taking a look at the 7mm 3-hole spark plug lead seal design. preparing these for an offset angle. hey, why not.

these are good to 300F. a compact design.

with a printed drill jig, the install time for one of these is about 10 minutes.

exact same mounting hole center to center dimension as the slick version... and I mean exact! 2.250 inch.

[A2022]

adding a boss extension to flat face for the 7mm 20 deg seals. I need someone to try these. send me a note and I'll ship you some for free with drill guide tool. no Trumpsters or clowns, because a RV-7 Trumpster damaged my aircraft at Empire (Y87), a POS, Northern Michigan. locals slipping around damaging aircraft while you go to dinner. these are good to 300F. mounted in the horizontal.