{"product_id":"vaseplane-v2-vase-mode-glider","title":"VasePlane V2 - Vase Mode Glider","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis glider is inspired by the stereotypical single seat fighter jet appearance. \u003cstrong\u003eThis is \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003ca target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/makerworld.com\/en\/models\/675003#profileId-603056\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eversion 2 of my original VasePlane\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e, this time launchable with a rubber band for more speed!\u003c\/strong\u003e The design of the glider follows several key aircraft design and 3D printing principles, more details about this are given in the \u003cstrong\u003eAircraft and Model Design Principles\u003c\/strong\u003e section below.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eI recommend that you aim for something soft or allow it to land on grass as the wings are liable to crack if you launch it into a wall! Suggestions for extra strength are detailed below in the \u003cstrong\u003ePrint Settings \u003c\/strong\u003esection.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis model consists of a main body section printed in vase mode and a nose cone, rubber band hook, and rubber band holder printed separately using regular settings. The main body prints nose down with the vase mode spiral printing from cockpit to tail. The nose cone and other parts are printed separately. The weight of then nose cone can be adjusted using infill percentage, allowing for balancing the aircraft. I have detailed my settings and filament below, you may have to print the nose cone with different settings (print a few) and test out which works best for you depending on the density of your filament.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cboostme\u003e\u003cboosttitle\u003eBoost Me\u003c\/boosttitle\u003e\u003cboostcontent\u003eIf you like the model please consider boosting, it helps me design and make more stuff! Thanks :)\u003c\/boostcontent\u003e\u003c\/boostme\u003e\u003ch2\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePrint settings\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe settings used are contained in the .3mf files attached, here is a summary of the most important ones. Printed using the standard 0.4mm nozzle.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMain body:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFilament: \u003c\/strong\u003ePolyterra PLA - white, 205 degrees nozzle, 65 degrees bed\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLayer height: \u003c\/strong\u003e0.2mm\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSupports:\u003c\/strong\u003e No\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eVase mode: \u003c\/strong\u003eYes, 3 solid bottom layers, accept standard spiral vase mode suggestions\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNose cone:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFilament: \u003c\/strong\u003ePolyterra PLA - white, 205 degrees nozzle, 65 degrees bed\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLayer height: \u003c\/strong\u003e0.2mm\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSupports:\u003c\/strong\u003e No\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eVase mode: \u003c\/strong\u003eNo\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eInfill: \u003c\/strong\u003e60-80%, grid (try 70% to start with, attach weakly and if it needs rebalancing then reprint with different infill. If plane tips back make it heavier, if it tips forward make it lighter)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOther parts:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThese are small and simple parts so I printed them at the same time and with the same settings as the nose cone.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReinforcement: \u003c\/strong\u003eThe model can break when involved in a big crash as vase mode only allows for a single layer, so the main body isn't super strong. Try to land softly! Setting the \u003cstrong\u003eprint extrusion to thicker \u003c\/strong\u003e(e.g. 0.6 or more - this will change the balance!) than default can help with this or using a \u003cstrong\u003etougher filament like PETG\u003c\/strong\u003e. Also other measures such as a thin layer of \u003cstrong\u003eglue\/nail polish\/tape\u003c\/strong\u003e in some key areas may help durability. These areas are on the body near the start\/end of the wings\/tail plane, and along the leading edge of the wings.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAssembly\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe nose cone needs to be glued on to the main body, I find regular super glue works well. There is a small notch on both the nose cone and main body that you need to align when glueing to get the nose cone on the right way up. Try to use a small enough amount of glue so that it doesn't squeeze over the edges as you need to align the edges by hand for a smooth nose cone to body transition.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIf you are testing different nose cones, use barely enough glue to hold it on as that way you may be able to snap it off and test another one. Or use small pieces of tape to hold it on and glue the version that works best. I found that just less than 3g weight for the nose cone works well for me.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLaunching the model\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eHold the rubber band handle in one hand and the glider in the other, pinching it by its tail. Pull the glider back so the rubber band is taught. Careful not to pull too hard as vase mode prints can be pulled apart. Aim the plane slightly upwards to achieve best gliding characteristics. The plane flies best with some speed so the aero surfaces can do their job. However, aim at something soft like grass or a bed as the wings can break if you hit a wall! Aim for something soft! Here is V2 being launched outside (a bit windy but works well!)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cfigure class=\"image\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/makerworld.bblmw.com\/makerworld\/model\/DSM00000000675101\/design\/2024-10-01_cffca4459b8b58.gif\"\u003e\u003c\/figure\u003e\u003ch2\u003eAircraft and Model Design Principles\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis model was designed following some general rules of aircraft design detailed below. The images show V1, but the principles are all the same, V2 is modified to be launched with a rubber band instead.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAirfoil shape\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cfigure class=\"image image_resized\" style=\"width: 90.25%\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/makerworld.bblmw.com\/makerworld\/model\/DSM00000000675101\/design\/2024-10-01_081c81544ffb48.png\"\u003e\u003c\/figure\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe airfoil shape used was created using splines but follows the general principles of airfoil design for low speed flight. The top surface is cambered whilst the bottom surface is fairly flat. When angled into oncoming flow the bottom surface serves to “squish” the air a bit and increase pressure under the wing, whereas the top surface forces the air to bend downwards as it passes over the surface, therefore lowering the pressure above the wing. The pressure difference between the top and bottom surfaces results in lift on the wing.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAnother way to think of lift is to think of throwing an object. E.g. when you throw a bowling ball or a baseball etc. it feels heavier in your hand as you accelerate it away from you. The object is pushing back on you as you push on it. Wings do the same thing to air. They “throw” the air down which in turn “pushes” the wing upwards. The angling the wing upwards helps to generate lift as this intuitively forces air down, and at low speed flight more cambered wings are used to help curve air downwards over their upper surfaces.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSince the model is small and flys slowly, a large chord length (leading to trailing edge distance) was used to generate enough lift for gliding. I will test even more aggressive camber and angles of attack to see if the performance can be improved.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWinglets\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cfigure class=\"image image_resized\" style=\"width: 84.03%\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/makerworld.bblmw.com\/makerworld\/model\/DSM00000000675101\/design\/2024-10-01_8be3d6ad6b434.jpg\"\u003e\u003c\/figure\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe curved wing tips shown in the above image are known as winglets. These help to preserve the lift generating capacity of the wing. On top of the wing there is low pressure and beneath the wing there is high pressure. As such, the air tries to roll over the wing tips from the bottom of the wing to the top which can lead to loss of lift. The winglets make this harder and the wing can generate more lift for a given wing span.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eDihedral\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eAlso shown in the above image is wing dihedral. This is where the wings are tilted towards each other slightly (each wing tip is higher than the wing root). Dihedral adds roll stability to the plane, if the plane starts to roll one way, then the wing that is getting lower “sees” the air coming in at a more aggressive angle, thus produces more lift, and this serves to correct the unwanted roll.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWing twist\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe wings start out at an inclination of 5 degrees at the root, and finishes with an inclination of 2 degrees at the tip. This design consideration is more important on large scale aircraft but it was fun to include nonetheless. Since the root of the wing is larger it produces more lift anyway, and generally has more structural integrity than wing sections near the tip. Thus, a higher angle of attack can be used here to generate more lift close to the root without wing failure. Secondly, roll control surfaces (a type of flap) are generally near the wing tip, therefore it is desirable to have the wing stall (lose grip on the air) close to the root such that the pilot can still control the plane and recover if the wings begin to stall. These are obviously not that applicable here as the model is small and has no control surfaces.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eCentre of mass\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cfigure class=\"image image_resized\" style=\"width: 88.08%\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/makerworld.bblmw.com\/makerworld\/model\/DSM00000000675101\/design\/2024-10-01_6d9cfcd53f2688.jpg\"\u003e\u003c\/figure\u003e\u003cp\u003eAircraft are generally more stable when the centre of mass (COM) is further forward than the centre of lift. The centre of mass and centre of lift should be fairly close together, with the centre of mass slightly further forward. Objects rotate about their COM, so with no tail plane the aircraft would tumble forward. The tail plane generates a small amount of “lift” downwards, and therefore balance the plane. Since the tail plane lift has a longer moment arm to the COM than the wing lift, only a small amount of downwards force is required to balance the plane. On large aircraft this also helps prevent the aircraft tipping backwards when it's on its landing gear - on the ground no lift is produced so a far back COM would make moving aircraft around on the ground much harder.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThere are many reasons to balance aircraft like this, most are only important for larger scale aircraft. Here the main reason is gliding balance is more easily achieved with the configuration shown above. If the COM was too far back the aircraft would pitch up, this is the reason for the heavy nose cone to achieve aircraft balance.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eHorizontal stabiliser\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs discussed above, the horizontal stabiliser serves to control the aircraft's pitch during flight.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eVertical stabiliser\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe vertical stabiliser provides yaw stability. If the plane yaws the vertical stabiliser produces a counterative sideways “lift” (as it is essentially a sideways wing) that corrects the yaw and striaghtens the plane. Much like a flag in the wind, the vertical stabiliser “wants” to align with the direction of the air flow and thus provides yaw stability.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003e3D Modelling Considerations for Printing\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe main design constraints on the model were imposed by printing it in vase mode. As such, no supports could be used, the leading edges of the wings had to be swept, and the trailing edge had to be straight. The leading edges had to be swept as a horizontal leading edge would require supports. The trailing edge had to be straight in order for vase mode to work, if the trailing edge was swept like the leading edge then vase mode could not reach the wing tips. Another solution would be to have the trailing edge swept back towards the tail, however this would make the wings very large and a weird shape!\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cfigure class=\"image image_resized\" style=\"width: 43.77%\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/makerworld.bblmw.com\/makerworld\/model\/DSM00000000675101\/design\/2024-10-01_1ee086831bb79.jpg\"\u003e\u003c\/figure\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe overhang angles of the leading edges are about on the limit of FDM printable overhangs without support, but with sufficient cooling and 0.2mm layer height (or less!) they print fine.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDesign by LanzDesign on MakerWorld (license: BY).\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Mymadmanlab","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":67383229415728,"sku":null,"price":4.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0987\/0809\/5280\/files\/0_a6b0ca32-7fa8-4724-9a3f-8a8ad1031900.png?v=1784492954","url":"https:\/\/mymadmanlab.com\/products\/vaseplane-v2-vase-mode-glider","provider":"Mymadmanlab.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}