Summary

A tiny Edge 540 semi scale model. Wingspan 400 mm.

More improvements. Printing with less retractions and it is now easier to fit parts together. The new wing has a longer aileron and fits a 2g servo more easily as it sits more towards the root where the wing is thicker. A 2g servo should slide right in and is held in place by slots inside the wing. Glue optional. The servo arm hole is marked on the wing so it is easy to cut out.

The plane is still in development at the moment but improvements will keep coming. With some handywork it should be possible to create a complete model with the current files. Some parts (like the spinner) require a little post processing (sanding/filing/drilling) to make them fit nicely and a some holes in the fuselage and wing need to be cut open.

Warning, to print this you need to be comfortable with vase/shell mode settings. It's recommended to use foaming PLA, or any other lightweight filament that you prefer. I've designed it a bit optimistic with a 0° AoA and symmetric airfoil. Complete airframe comes in at around 29 grams printed in Colorfabb LW-PLA with most parts printed at 45% flow.

If you succeed at building this model, please share your makes! :-)

Print SettingsRafts:

Supports:

Resolution:

0.24

Infill:

Filament material:

LW-PLA

Filament brand:

Colorfabb

Filament color:

Any

Notes:

Most parts are printed in spiralized shell mode @ 0.24 mm layer height, 0.4 mm width, 0.4 mm nozzle. The tail is made out of 2mm depron or similar foam (cutting template included). You'll need to place the objects correctly on the print bed, directions below.

Important information about slicing

This design makes use of a hack in **** to get the narrow slices to print as internal ribs. I did not succeed in making this work in other slicers than **** because they lack these specific settings, as far as I know. Best option for now is to slice in **** with the recommended settings for wall inset and horizontal expansion (may need to turn on expert mode to enable these settings) and then send your Gcode to the printer. This is a bit of extra effort on some printers but it is definitely worth it. If you have found another way to make it work, let me know!

**** specific settings:

Mesh fixes: Remove All Holes OFFWalls: Outer Wall Inset -0.18 mm (negative!)*Walls: Horizontal Expansion 0.08 mm*Special Modes: Surface Mode 'Normal'Lift head: off (helps to print small features on top of parts cleaner without unnecessary retractions)Print thin walls: on

These settings make sure that the slots in the model are printed as structural ribs in vase mode. Stringing should be very limited this way and the model will be much stronger.

Settings and placement for specific parts

All these parts are printed in LW-PLA at 0.24mm layer height, spiralized contour, no supports, no infill

If supports are needed they are built-in. Brim on, this helps with stability while printing tall parts.

Fuselage: place on nose and set to 4 bottom layersWings: print 2, 1 mirrored, place on root, 3 bottom layersAilerons: print 2, 1 mirrored, place on root, 5 bottom layersNose cowl: place on nose, no bottom layers, cut off built-in support with a knife after printingWheel pants: place on front, print 1 regular and 1 mirrored, cut off built-in support with a knife after printingCanopy: place on rear, cut clean after printing

Print in LW-PLA at 0.24mm layer height, regular slicing, no supports, 100% infill

Wheels: print 2, place on side

PLA or similar

No supports needed, regular slicing

Motor mount, place on rearLanding gear, place on frontTail wheel and tail, place on sideCutting template, place flatNotes

Motor mount fits outrunners that require a 6 mm mounting hole because that's what I'm currently using. Other models may follow later, or you have to design/make your own. Print the motor mount in regular mode, 100% infill (it's thin walled so shouldn't matter) using your favorite strong material like PLA +/Pro, ASA or what you prefer. Attach with micro plastic screws.

Spinner fits perfectly on Volantax/Eachine micro plane props.

The wings have a symmetric airfoil, NACA0016 profile at 13,5% and 0°. Mirror the wing in your slicer to make the other wing. Ailerons consist of two parts and the main part needs to be mirrored if you don't want the control horn to be sticking upwards on one side. Cut out the hole to fit a 2g servo on the underside of the wing. Put on the control horn and screw it onto the servo, move the horn sideways before pushing the servo into the wing. Servo slides in from the root of the wing. Be careful, it's a bit fiddly to get them in but once they snap in place it is quite difficult to get the servo's out. Be sure to test the electronics before mounting.

Cut out the diamond shaped holes in side of the fuselage and use a square 240 x 4 mm wood (or carbon) spar to connect wings. Two bits of round 1.8 mm carbon rod ensure the wings stay level. Insert into each wing.

Make small hole in the tail for a 0.8 mm rod. Slide through fuselage into horizontal stabilizers. Use a short piece of rod to connect the elevators. Use strong glue to connect.

Cut fabric hinges for all control surfaces to size, make sure hinge slots are open, check for free movement and glue into place.

Use a piece of filament for the wheel axles. Melt or glue in place.

To do

Unfinished at this point:

Lighter battery/servo tray Solved with servo bay in new fuselageStrengthening for horizontal stabilizers and elevator linkageMotor mount -> In progress -> V3 model addedRemovable canopy to access servos -> included in V2Improve canopy latch systemA way to attach the landing gear to the fuselage -> included in V2Add more lightness -> In progressMaybe try a lighter print but with epoxy coating for added strength -> Experiments successful, stay tunedClean up filenamesTest 125% upscaled build -> In progressTest flight :-)Additional wing profiles, also an asymmetrical profile wing for non aerobatic flying

I recommend experimenting with your choice of active foaming lightweight PLA (or other material of your preference, the plane is designed with LW-PLA in mind) and getting your general print settings regarding speed, temperature and expansion ratio right before printing. Check the guides and recommendations for your filament to get the best results.

A note on scaling: it is possible to scale the model up and adjust the **** wall expansion and inset values accordingly. I have tried a build at 125% with 0.5mm wall thickness and this works very well. Going larger may require a bigger nozzle diameter.

*) These settings are related to the width of the 0.2 mm slots in the model. If you print the model at a different scale, you may need to adjust these values accordingly. The nose cowl is held in place by friction. This may no longer work when scaled. A upgraded latch will solve this at some point.

Flying

Glide tests show that a CG at 25% and 33% from the leading edge seems to work. Just a bit behind where the main wing spar is. Please do some gentle hand launches unpowered glides before going full throttle

GOOD PRINTING

Tiny Edge - Zivko Edge 540 RC Plane

0.2mm layer, 2 walls, 15% infill